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Centennial Citizen
Stretching from Adams County through the metro area and down into Douglas County, long ago, a 71-mile canal used to bring water to residents and farms.
Over time, the canal became less and less used as a water transportation system. So, the High Line Canal pivoted. It evolved into a long and winding natural trail that connects communities, a magnet for families, cyclists, runners and lovers of natural beauty.
Today, local leaders celebrated a milestone: the transfer of ownership of 45 miles of the canal from Denver Water to Arapahoe County. It is a significant step in formalizing the trail as a recreational asset.
“Denver Water — their mission is utility, providing water to consumers,” said Gini Pingenot, Arapahoe County’s open spaces director. “That chapter’s closed, and now we’re moving into a chapter of just prioritizing recreation, ecological benefits, public access.”
The transfer came with a conservation easement, a legal agreement to protect the High Line Canal permanently. The agreement places restrictions on the land, aligning its uses with conservation and recreation for generations to come.
The High Line Canal Conservancy, a nonprofit that works to protect the canal, is in charge of monitoring the canal to ensure its use aligns with the easement. The easement restricts unapproved construction, prohibits mining and ensures free use of the trail by the public, among other rules.
“Our board accepts this responsibility with seriousness and pride,” said Harriet Crittenden LaMair, the conservancy’s chief executive officer. “This easement on the High Line Canal is for all those people that need the comfort of being in a natural open space in this growing urban area.”
Alan Salazar, chief operating officer of Denver Water, said the decision to transfer ownership to Arapahoe County was both practical and aspirational.
“The practical reason is that it no longer served a water delivery purpose for us,” he said. “We have more sophisticated and safer ways of delivering water to our customers.”
On the aspirational side, Salazar said Denver Water has a commitment to being a good steward of the natural environment.
“If we’re really keeping faith with being a good steward of the natural environment, then what is our responsibility to the metro area for what is probably one of the last major open space recreational opportunities?” he said.
Letting the local counties and the conservancy promote the best future for the trail seemed like a “no-brainer” for how Denver Water could “spur the next piece of natural resource stewardship,” he said.
He added that Denver Water still retains its ability to use the canal for water transportation if it is needed for public health and safety in the future.
Denver Water did not require Arapahoe County to pay for the land. The county will, however, take responsibility for expenses related to the maintenance of the trail. In some cases, the county is also partnering with local municipalities on trail maintenance.
Arapahoe County Commissioner Carrie Warren-Gully said the county’s open spaces fund, funded by a 0.25% sales and use tax, will pay for costs related to the county’s new ownership of the land.
She is looking forward to the county’s work with the High Line Canal Conservancy to continue improving the trail and its amenities.
“What you have is a commitment from Arapahoe County to continue this great partnership, this great collaboration, and to really take the canal to the next level,” she said.
Salazar said the long-term vision for the canal is to give all parts of it to the counties it runs through. In addition to Arapahoe County, the trail passes through portions of Denver, Douglas County and Adams County.
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