Editor’s Note: I had a chance to sit down with City and County of Broomfield (CCOB) City Manager Jennifer Hoffman to talk about some of the current high-profile topics of concern to residents. We spoke about the Nissen Reservoirs, the Eagle Trace Golf Course, and the Broomfield Town Center. Each topic is its own complex issue with numerous aspects and community interests. Over the next few months, Our Broomfield will share local perspectives on these topics. Though intertwined with the golf course issue, this month we will separate and address the Reservoirs.
In August 2024, the owner of Eagle Trace Golf Club (Miles Scully) sold the course’s historical water rights—including Clear Creek water rights that date back to the 1895 and are tied to Nissen Reservoirs No. 1 and No. 2, as well as shares in the Community Ditch system—to Owl Creek Investments. The golf course had been leasing the water back since the sale, but that lease and irrigation access expires on November 1, 2026. CCOB acquired the Reservoirs and Clear Creek water rights this fall. CCOB did not acquire the Community Ditch shares, which historically provided most of the irrigation water for the golf course. While the Reservoirs and the Clear Creek water rights are legally bound together, those water rights do not always provide sufficient water to fill the reservoirs.
The below is excerpted from a recent public letter from CCOB to the Eagle Trace Community Development Corporation. Additional public information is available at www.Broomfield.org.
“It is important to distinguish between the Nissen Reservoir property, which is now owned by the City and County of Broomfield (CCOB), and the Eagle Trace Golf Course, which remains privately owned.
CCOB acquired the Nissen Reservoirs as part of the transaction involving the associated Clear Creek water rights. The reservoirs serve an important function within CCOB’s stormwater drainage system in addition to the water-resource considerations associated with the property. CCOB’s acquisition and use of the reservoirs for stormwater purposes do not, by themselves, change their legal classification from reservoirs to stormwater retention ponds.
CCOB does not currently intend to fill or maintain water in the reservoirs solely for aesthetic purposes. This is consistent with how we are approaching ponds and water features throughout Broomfield during the current drought. Numerous (several hundred) ponds and water features within CCOB are experiencing very low water levels this year, and there is no plan to use municipal water supplies simply to keep them full.
Water supplied by CCOB is ultimately paid for by utility ratepayers. Using municipal water supplies to maintain ponds or other water features would create additional costs and raise a larger community-wide policy question regarding which ponds should receive water, under what circumstances, and how those priorities should be established.
There is also an important distinction regarding the Clear Creek water rights associated with Nissen. These are junior water rights, meaning availability in any particular year depends on hydrologic conditions and calls from senior water-right holders. Due to the current drought conditions, that water has not been available this year. CCOB therefore cannot guarantee that Clear Creek water will be available annually or that the reservoirs will remain full throughout a particular season.
Providing and storing additional water for golf course irrigation would require additional water rights, legal processes, and infrastructure investment, currently estimated at approximately $1.5 million to $2 million. CCOB does not intend to undertake that investment for the privately owned golf course.
The current low water levels provide an opportunity for staff to evaluate the condition of the reservoirs and potential maintenance needs. Any possible work identified during the evaluation will be prioritized based upon operational need, available resources, and CCOB’s broader capital and maintenance responsibilities.”
*In October, we will continue with detail about the status of the Eagle Trace Golf Course, including input from the surrounding community.
