DENVER — The Cherry Creek Trail will likely flood Wednesday as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flushes out sediment from the Cherry Creek Dam gates.
It will last from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday. It can take about six hours for that water to hit the Champa Street bridge in downtown Denver, so expect high flows all day and into the evening, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
The agency flushes water out of the dam to improve water quality and support fish and wildlife in the Cherry Creek.
The Army Corps of Engineers plans to release less than 100 cubic feet of water per second from the dam during the flush. That is equal to 750 gallons per second, the agency said.
The flush may likely cause minor flooding at low-level crossings downstream of the dam, including bike paths.
"USACE provided advance notice of the flush to local agencies with responsibility for public safety along the creek and to downstream property owners with known impacts to help build awareness of potential impacts to unhoused people in the vicinity of the creek during these releases," the Army Corps of Engineers said.
The agency recommends Cherry Creek Trail users to find alternate routes, including using crosswalks and sidewalks at street level during the flush.
