WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 5, 2024
VOLUME 136 | ISSUE 5
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Road to top of Mount Blue Sky closed until 2026 Participants during a rainwater collection workshop last year pick up barrels to hold rainwater.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ARAPAHOE COUNTY
Rain, rain, don’t go away
The benefits of harvesting rainwater are explained BY ELISABETH SLAY ESLAY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Amid high temperatures and scarce rainfall, drought conditions have hit the metro area. Arapahoe County is looking to help with one solution: rain barrels. It’s been legal in Colorado to use them to harvest water from roofs since 2016.
Lisa Knerr, environmental program manager with Arapahoe County, said that rainwater collection also helps communities conserve water in dry times. “Typically, half of a residential home’s water usage is for outdoor landscaping, so rain barrels help reduce the demand on our drinkingwater plants,” Knerr said. “Plus, rain barrels can help protect our local waterways.” Greg Heavener, a warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said this summer “has been underwhelming for
Uppermost section of Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway will be shut down until Memorial Day 2026 BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
moisture across much of the northcentral and northeastern parts of the state.” “There are some large deficits across our part of the state, even with some of the recent heavy rains we’ve seen,” Heavener said. “We started the summer off hot and dry and never really made up for that.” Water from the barrels can be utilized for outdoor uses such as landscaping but not for drinking water. Knerr said barrels can help homeowners save money on water bills.
The highest paved road in North America, Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway, closed Sept. 3 to all travel to the peak including motorized, biking and most hiking as road repairs continue until Memorial Day 2026, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The byway, also known as CO Hwy 5, closed from the Forest Service gate near Highway 103 in Clear Creek County through the project area, above Summit Lake, USFS representatives said.
SEE RAINWATER, P11
SEE BLUE SKY, P6
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