DENVER — Denver's engineering manager said the 18-month renovation of the City Park Golf Course paid off when strong storms hit the area Sunday night and the course absorbed water that might otherwise have affected surrounding neighborhoods.
"Personally, I think it worked awesome," Bruce Uhernik said and added that the storm was at least a 50-year flood event that dumped rain on the City Park area in a 30-minute timeframe.
In November 2017, the city closed the golf course for major upgrades that included a new clubhouse, re-designed links and a deeper water retention pond between the 11th and 13th holes.
"What we decided to do was take that west end and carve out and make that low spot even lower than it was because it naturally holds water," Uhernik explained. He said the pond – and part of the course – floods with excess rainfall, then drains quickly to reduce water in the neighborhoods.
"I envision that all that water would’ve been pushed into those streets, into those neighborhoods, so having that amount of water in the golf course means we had that much less water downhill in those neighborhoods which is a really good thing," Uhernik said
But a video posted to social media Sunday night showed cars driving through inches of water along the roads surrounding the park, leading some to criticize the stormwater plan.
In fact, the flooded roads were part of the plan, Uhernik said. "The streets are actually part of the overall detention system," he said. "When I see the photos of the cars that have less than a foot, six to eight inches up on their hubcaps, to me that means the system is working."
Viewers reported the water quickly receded to normal levels once the rain stopped Sunday.
A spokesperson for the Denver Parks and Recreation said the back nine holes on the course were closed Monday due to the flooding and golfers were not allowed to drive carts on the wet grass.