Friends Of Loveland Reservoir

SWEETWATER HOLDS MEETING IN ALPINE TONIGHT ON LOVELAND TRAILIMPROVEMENTS, PRIORITIES FOR GRANT FUNDS

Hear our interview with Sierra Club Conservation Chair Ron Askeland and Loveland advocate Russell Walsh, aired on KNSJ

By Miriam Raftery

November 12, 2024 (Alpine) – Supporters of Loveland Reservoir are urging the public to attend a community workshop hosted by Sweetwater Water Authority tonight on trail improvements at Loveland Reservoir.  The meeting will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Alpine Woman’s Club, 2156 Alpine Blvd.in Alpine.

Sweetwater will offer an update on Loveland trails improvements at the meeting, the third in a series of public workshops.   The meeting comes after Sweetwater received a $750,000 state grant at the request of Senator Brian Jones for improvements at Loveland, and public input is sought on how to allocate those funds.

Audio: 


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FRIENDS OF LOVELAND RESERVOIR ASK PUBLIC HELP AFTER FOREST SERVICES DENIES REQUEST FOR VOLUNTEERS TO HELP RESTORE SUNRISE-TO-SUNSET ACCESS

By Miriam Raftery

July 11, 2024 (Alpine) – The nonprofit Friends of Loveland Reservoir has been advocating for a return of sunrise-to-sunset hours at Sweetwater Reservoir.  Such access was agreed to along with an easement as part of a land-swap deal between the U.S. Forest Service and Sweetwater Water Authority (SWA) years ago, but in recent years amid tightened budgets, that agreement has not been honored.

Friends of Loveland states in an email to its supporters that it proposed for members of its large volunteer base to open and close Loveland daily from sunrise to sunset, with a new lockbox and gate key.  “ SWA agreed to open the gate every morning and would work with a volunteer group as long as USFS provided oversight. Unfortunately, the USDA Office of General Counsel did not agree,” the Friends group states in its email.

Friends of Loveland Reservoir (FLR)has sent a letter in response to the Forest Service sharply criticizing the federal agency for refusing to enforce the public’s access rights and asking for a meeting with the Forest Service, FLR, and SWA representatives.(See copy of their letter below).

FLR also urging the public to contact the following Forest Service representatives:


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LOVELAND RESERVOIR TO REOPEN MAY 30, SWEETWATER ANNOUNCES

By Miriam Raftery

May 27, 2023 (Alpine) – Sweetwater Water Authority has posted a notice on its website announcing that the recreation program at Loveland Reservoir in Alpine will reopen on May 30.  Available activities are expected to include hiking and birdwatching, but not yet fishing, since the district has not committed on a date to restock the lake with fish.

In November and December, the district drained Loveland Reservoir to dead pool status for the first time ever, killing off the fish to save ratepayers money and avoid buying water during the drought. The action drew outrage from local residents and fishing advocates.

Then heavy rains in December and January destroyed a floating fishing dock, which the district plans to restore with insurance funds. The rains also caused severe erosion of trails which the district deemed dangerous, so it closed public access to the lake in January.


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ALPINE PLANNING GROUP TO HEAR LOVELAND RESERVOIR CONCERNS MARCH 23; COMMUNITY INPUT SOUGHT

By Miriam Raftery

March 3, 2023 (Alpine) –  Loveland Reservoir near Alpine remains closed to public access for fishing, hiking and recreation since storms in January destroyed the floating fishing dock and caused severe erosion. The damage occurred after Sweetwater Water Authority drained the lake to an unprecedented dead pool status, killing off fish and destroying habitat. Even after January’s heavy rains, Sweetwater again drained the reservoir – angering recreational enthusiasts and environmentalists.

On Thursday, March 23 at 6 p.m., the Alpine Community Planning Group will hear a presentation by Sweetwater on the current and future state of Loveland Reservoir.

Friends of Loveland Reservoir, a group formed to advocate for restoring the lake, states, “We desperately need community members to show up and calmly and professionally share the importance of the Reservoir. If Sweetwater does not hear from us, they will understandably believe this matter is not important to us and will continue down their chosen path.”


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SWEETWATER DRAINS LOVELAND RESERVOIR AGAIN, CLOSES LAKE TO RECREATION

 

District disputes statements by residents criticizing its actions

By Miriam Raftery

February 10, 2023 (Alpine) – Despite heavy rains in January that have alleviated severe drought concerns, Sweetwater Water Authority on January 26 announced that it has initiated a new transfer of water from Loveland Reservoir to Sweetwater Reservoir. The new transfer comes after a controversial transfer begun in November drained Loveland down to dead pool status for the first time in the district’s history, raising concerns over negative impacts on wildlife, firefighting resources, and loss of recreational use including fishing. 

Last month, heavy rains caused major damage to a floating fishing dock, as well as substantial erosion, as ECM reported. Now, the district has announced that “due to safety concerns, the Recreation Program at Loveland Reservoir is closed until further notice. Recent rains caused significant erosion in the Recreation Program area at Loveland Reservoir. For the safety of the community, the program will remain closed until further notice. Sweetwater Authority staff will be assessing the damage and evaluating options for repairs in the coming months.”  For the latest updates, visit www.sweetwater.org/recreation.

Darlene Cosso, board member and spokesperson for the newly formed Friends of Loveland Reservoir,  told ECM, “Friends of Loveland Reservoir would like to collaborate with Sweetwater Authority to propose solutions to the repeated draining of the lake. We believe we have various options which will benefit community members, the environment, wildlife that depends on Loveland, and Sweetwater Authority and its customers.”

Friends of Loveland Reservoir posted the following call to action on its Facebook page, for residents upset over the closure and repeated draining:


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