Denver Water can finish its Gross Dam expansion and fill the controversial reservoir in western Boulder County, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday, lifting an injunction by a lower court judge and confirming the dam’s permits as sound. The appeals court said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had acted responsibly in issuing construction permits for the $600 million expansion, which is largely complete and will be filled using water rights Denver holds in the Colorado River basin on the western side of the Continental Divide. While a federal district judge in Denver had issued the injunction after declaring the Corps had failed to consider less-damaging alternatives, or the fact that climate change could rob Colorado of river water, the appeals court rejected that view. 

Related:

• Courthouse News: Dam it: 10th Circuit lets Denver Water complete Gross Reservoir expansion
• 9News (Denver, Colo.): US appeals court rules Denver Water can finish and fill Gross Reservoir
• The Denver Post (Colo.): Federal appeals court clears way for $600 million Gross Dam project’s completion
• Colorado Politics (Denver): 10th Circuit clears path for completion of Denver Water reservoir expansion
• Bloomberg Law: Army Corps approval of Colorado dam expansion upheld on appeal