There’s now great paddling in Pueblo. Pueblo Water announced the grand opening of its new Pueblo Waterworks Park on Saturday, Oct. 19, unveiling the completed rehabilitation of the Southside Diversion Dam, just north of City Park. Billed as the largest public water parks project ever in Pueblo at $14 million, the park was built by leading riverpark design firm Recreation Engineering and Planning (REP), out of Boulder, Colo.
As well as offering recreational opportunities on the Arkansas River, located between Pueblo Dam and Runyon Lake, the new Waterworks Park also represents improves the overall health and safety of the river in the city, transforming the stretch into a fully navigable and vibrant area.
“We started the planning process for this new park back in 2018 and are excited to see all the design and hard work come to fruition,” says Seth Clayton, executive director of Pueblo Water, adding the park was first initiated in 2018 with the build-out taking five years of design, planning and permitting, with construction finishing this summer.
The main objective of the park was to enhance the safety of the river in the area. The project involved extensive modifications to ensure the river is safer for all users, with a new spillway chute and six drop pools designed to reduce the risk of accidents. The project also includes a passageway that will allow users to ride the river unimpeded, as the site had previously had multiple accidents and fatalities.
“The pre-existing dam had drowned a number of people including a father and son on Father’s Day in 2020,” says lead designer Spencer Lacy of REP. “The pre-existing dam still needs to function to divert water for Pueblo Water, so dam lowering/removal wasn’t an option. There were floodplain concerns with building a full whitewater park all downstream of the existing dam, so we designed a five-drop boat bypass around the dam that is great for beginner paddling, tubing, swimming, hanging – that’s the north channel. At the south channel we designed a large “spillway” with a center chute. It dissipates about 10 feet of drop in a safe way that should be super fun for advanced paddlers at higher flows.”
A flow spit helps, he adds. “At low flows basically the whole river goes through the north bypass, and at high flows both channels are ripping,” he says. “Then downstream of the dam we had enough drop leftover for one more feature without affecting the floodplain, which gets to take the whole flow of the river after the north and south channels come back together. Here, we designed a feature that works great for boat passage and tubers but is also great for river surfing – a nice, fast, green wave.”
In addition to enhancing safety and navigability, the Waterworks Park project has focused on creating a continuous fish passage for migration. This vital component ensures that brown, rainbow, trout and other fish can move freely along the river in both directions, supporting biodiversity and promoting a healthier aquatic ecosystem.
“It was important for us to improve the health of the river through this section,” added Clayton. “Each drop structure has special channels that allow fish to migrate upstream – something they’ve never been able to do before.”
Part of the project is to improve the health of the river by minimizing impacts to wetlands. Each drop structure also has dedicated fish passage, allowing them to migrate from downstream to upstream, which they couldn’t do before.”
The objectives of the project were:
- Improving the safety of the section of the Arkansas River from below Pueblo Dam to near Runyon Lake and making it fully navigatable
- Creating a fish passage for migration
- Providing additional recreation opportunities
- Creating better river health
- Keeping Pueblo Water’s redundant southside intake functional and allowing the supply of the Riverside Dairy Ditch irrigation flow.
“This area of the river is a major draw for the public looking to swim or cool off during the hot summer months,” adds Joe Cervi, communications director for Pueblo Water. “But the concrete structures of the old diversion dam area created a dangerous area and was the site of multiple accidents and fatalities through the years. There were safety concerns with old debris in the channel as well. This rebuild will provide much-needed improvements to those floating downriver, those wanting a cool place to relax, or those biking or walking on the trail. That said, the No. 1 reason for the project was to make the area safer for our community.”
Another goal was to allow the Arkansas to become fully navigable from below Pueblo Dam to near Runyon Lake. Prior to the rebuild, tubers floating downstream from the Pueblo Reservoir would have to exit the water, carry their innertubes around the spillway, and reenter the water further downstream. This new park opens a continuous waterway for tubers and kayakers, offering a seamless and scenic route through the heart of Pueblo.
The project ensures the functionality of Pueblo Water’s redundant diversion intake, and also allows water to the Riverside Dairy Ditch. This is crucial for maintaining water supply for Pueblo homes and businesses and supporting local agricultural activities downstream.
“Pueblo’s water supply originates near Leadville, Co, in the Rocky Mountains and makes its way into the Arkansas River and down through our community,” said Clayton. “We take great pride in providing fresh, high quality drinking water for our population and reliable water service for our customers.”
Watch video here: https://vimeo.com/887056451