WESTMINSTER, Colo. — A new agreement has been reached between the cities of Northglenn, Thornton and Westminster that will close Standley Lake to boats in order to protect the water, which is a source of drinking water for more than 300,000 people in the north metro area.
Under the amended Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) the following rules go into place:
- There will be no motorized and/or trailered boating of any type allowed by the public on Standley Lake, with a few exceptions for water quality testing, and ranger/emergency rescue operations.
- All three cities will share liability for any impacts to future water quality caused by recreation on the lake. In exchange, Northglenn and Thornton will have increased oversight.
- All three cities will equally fund a Security Audit of the lake. The purpose of the audit will be to identify any threats to water quality at Standley Lake. The goal of this effort is to make sure the cities are doing their best to protect the water supply.
- A committee comprised of staff from the three cities and first formed in 1995 will continue to meet, review, and agree upon what recreational uses will be allowed at Standley Lake following the guidelines of what’s allowed in the amended IGA.
The ban on this type of boating was first implemented more than a year ago to prevent the risk of a zebra and quagga mussel infestation.
As the primary owners of water rights in Standley Lake, the Cities of Westminster, Thornton and Northglenn have long been and continue to be close partners in the operation of this key asset.
“Westminster and Northglenn both rely on the lake as their sole drinking water supply, and it represents a significant portion of Thornton’s water supply,” states Westminster City Manager, Don Tripp. “This important agreement will ensure that hundreds of thousands of people in our community continue to have a reliable, healthy water supply while also maximizing allowed recreational opportunities at this regional-park and wildlife refuge.”
The amended IGA was approved by Westminster City Council on Monday. It was already approved by Northglenn City Council in late October and will be considered by Thornton City Council later this month for final approval.
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