Agenda Date: 07/15/2025
Subject:
Title
Resolution 68-2025: Approving a quit claim deed for the City Ditch project
Body
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From: |
James L. Becklenberg, City Manager |
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Prepared by: |
Ryan Germeroth, Deputy Director of Public Works & Utilities |
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Presentations: |
Brent Soderlin, Director of Public Works & Utilities |
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Ryan Germeroth, Deputy Director of Public Works & Utilities |
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Sara Dusenberry, Senior Planner Community Development |
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Stephanie Ellis, Engineer III, City of Englewood |
PURPOSE:
To approve the quite claim deed agreement needed between Littleton and Englewood for the City Ditch piping project.
LONG-TERM OUTCOME(S) SERVED:
Vibrant Community with a Rich Culture; High-Quality Governance
DISCUSSION:
Brief History of City Ditch
City Ditch was one of the first irrigation canals in the state and runs water from the South Platte River to Denver. The 26-mile stretch was initially started in 1861, with the beginning of ditch more closely located to what is downtown Littleton. Due to the Civil War, construction was halted and restarted in 1864. The ditch was completed in 1867, with the start located nearly four miles upstream. Richard Little, founder of Littleton, was responsible for surveying the stretch of land to ensure the water flowed appropriately and noted the original location of the ditch would not be effective in moving water. Construction of the ditch and the ability to move water in a highly arid landscape was a catalyst for much of the development within the region. Richard Little utilized the abandoned ditch to channel water from the Platte, allowing for the construction of the Rough and Ready Mill.
Utilizing gravity to move water required the use of flumes to move water across features like gulches or side streams. The flumes effectively acted as bridges to allow water to move across these features. The original flumes would have likely been constructed from wood. The use of steel would have come later when shipping the material to the region was easier and more cost effective. A steel flume structure currently exists over Slaughterhouse Gulch in Littleton and was likely constructed in the 1940s. The structure is currently in use today to provide water to the City of Englewood.
City Ditch Flume & Project Agreement Overview
Due to feedback from the community during the Englewood design project for City Ditch, including feedback from Historic Littleton, Inc., city staff hired a consultant to assess the condition of the existing flume structures in Slaughterhouse Gulch Park and near Lee Gulch to provide scenarios on what could be done with the flumes. The scenarios analyzed include costs to repair in place to working condition, costs to maintain in place, and the costs to remove and relocate part or most of the flumes to another location. Since the initial assessment was done, staff has since asked the consultant to provide a cost estimate to stabilize the Slaughterhouse Gulch flume in place structurally with no other work done to it. Based on the condition assessments the flume structure in Slaughterhouse Gulch is leaking, has corroded steel, has spalled concrete, is missing anchor bolts, and has exposed or undermined foundations. Englewood addressed the undermined foundation in the Fall of 2024. Most of these deficiencies are rated as “serious” or “high” need in the assessment reports. The full inspection report has been included with this summary memo. Given the extent of the maintenance needs, the costs for repair to be fully functional or for relocation are expected to be extensive while the cost to stabilize in place is much less by comparison. The costs range from about $150,000 over ten years to stabilize in place up to almost $1.4 million to relocate most of the structure to another location. However, there is a concern that the flume could pose a safety risk if abandoned in place given that securing access to the ends will be a challenge.
For the Englewood piping project to proceed forward through completion, there are four agreements between Littleton and Englewood that are needed to allow for exchange of funds, to create new easements, relinquish old easements, and transfer property.
The following provides a summary of the key terms and conditions for this agreement.
- Quit claim deed regarding abandoned easements & infrastructure
o Records relinquishment of easement rights to abandoned portions of the ditch
o Englewood releases and quit claims to Littleton all rights, title, and interests of Englewood in the relinquished area including any infrastructure located in the relinquished area
BACKGROUND:
The City of Englewood is planning to pipe the open channel City Ditch in both Slaughterhouse Gulch Park in 2025 and in Lee Gulch in a future year. They will also pipe a portion of the ditch in Belleview Park to the north of Littleton limits. City Ditch is Englewood’s primary water supply source so piping the ditch will improve the quality, sustainability, resiliency, and safety of the water source. The design effort for this project started in the fall of 2022. Community outreach and coordination was included as a part of the project, including meetings with Historic Littleton, Inc. Due to the potential removal of the flume structures, a request was made by representatives of Historic Littleton, Inc. to consider keeping the flume structures. The City of Littleton then hired a consultant to assess the condition of the flume and provide cost estimates to repair, relocate, and maintain it.
Prior Actions or Discussions
A presentation summarizing the condition assessment report for the flume structures was presented to Council at the study session on April 22, 2025. This presentation included a staff recommendation with options on what to do with the flume structures. Council provided staff with direction to remove the flume structure in Slaughterhouse Gulch as a part of the Englewood project.
At the study session on May 27th, 2025 city staff provided an overview of the agreements between Littleton and Englewood that are needed to create new easements, relinquish old easements, and transfer property. Council asked for some clarification on when the quit claim deed would be recorded but did not provide any feedback on changing the terms of the agreements. This included the IGA which included text on both the stabilization of the abandoned ditch bank, the preservation of a piece of the flume, and the removal of the remaining flume structure. Staff let Council know that a presentation to the Historic Preservation Commission would occur before the agreements were finalized though.
On June 16, 2025 city staff provided an overview of a brief history of the City Ditch, a project overview of the Englewood project, and a summary of the project agreements to the Historic Preservation Commission. The commission stated they would have liked to have been included in the discussion earlier than they were and asked that be done next time. City staff acknowledged this request and noted it for the next discussion around historic preservation associated with a capital project. In addition, the commission does not want the flume to be removed and would prefer that the needed time be taken to determine how best to preserve the flume in place.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
N/A
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
City staff recommends that Council approve this agreement as presented via resolution.
ALTERNATIVES:
N/A
PROPOSED MOTION:
Proposed Motion
I move to approve Resolution 68-2025 approving a quit claim deed for the City Ditch project.