The Westerly Creek Dam is a compacted earth fill structure providing wildlife habitat, stormwater retention, and flood control on the South Platte River basin. Completed in 1991, this dam was built to protect life and property in east Denver from 100-year flood events along the Westerly Creek. The creek actually flows in a northerly direction before terminating near the Smith Road Trailhead about 4 miles north of here.
Leave No Trace
Erosion is the single greatest threat to the integrity of the dam. Please stick to designated trails and minimize your footprint. Digging or disturbing of any soils or vegetation is prohibited.
50-year Flood
On September 12th 2013, the Westerly Creek measured a historic rainfall of 9.7" in just 24 hours which is approx 70% of the average annual precipitation for Denver. This date will forever be logged in my memory because we had just bought our first home in the area, and our new back patio was starting to flood! The Kelly Road Dam further upstream was filled to capacity, and our nearby Verbena Park transformed into a neighborhood pond.
Landfill
From 1948 to 1989, this area south of the dam was a dumping ground for waste from the Lowry Air Force Base. Historically, this stretch of the Westerly Creek also served as an unsanctioned municipal landfill for east Denver and Aurora residents. The base was closed in 1994, and the former military installation was slated for a new model planned development now known as the Lowry Field neighborhood. This cache is located just to the west of where the old landfill once was (see photo).
Remediation
Cleanup on the landfill started in the early 2000s using combined local, State, and Federal resources. The debris field was fenced-off and capped by an 18-inch impermeable layer then covered with 6 inches of soil from off-site sources. Culverts were built to divert surface runoff directly into the dam wetlands area. Gas vents, monitoring wells, and air sampling stations are visible throughout the landfill and around the perimeter.