Civil Engineeering
www.asce.org
March 2012
Recently approved plans for enhancing portions of a2.4 mi. long segment of the South Platte River in Littleton, Colorado, aim to improve ecological conditions on a heavily modified urban waterway whose flow regime was significantly reduced more than 30 years ago. a chief goal of the project is to alter the channel in various wayus, essentially recalibratin it so that it will conform more closely to its current hydrologic conditions. In return, the revamped section of river is expected to function in a more natural way and sustain increased populations of fish and wildlife.
The stretch of the South Platte River that is the focus of the enhancement plan is encompassed within the 878- acre South Platte Park, which is owned by the City of Littleton and managed by South Suburban Parks and Recreation, a quasi municipal corporation that is based in Centennial, Colorado, and over-sees parks for Littleton and five other cites.