Boulder County committee recommends firefighting cistern easement in Sunshine Canyon
The proposed 40,000-gallon tank would give firefighters a nearby water source in steep terrain without hydrants.
Boulder County’s Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee unanimously recommended that county commissioners grant the Sunshine Fire Protection District an easement for a buried 40,000-gallon firefighting cistern on Bald Mountain Open Space. The committee made the recommendation at its Sept. 24 meeting.
Parks and Open Space land officer Aaron Clark said the cistern could help firefighters get water quickly while additional water is brought in, buying time to keep a fire from spreading. District representative Alan Curtin said steep slopes and the ridge road limit where the district can place cisterns. He described the proposed site, beyond the road’s four-mile marker, as the closest feasible location to the lower part of the district.
The proposed easement covers about 0.07 acre along Sunshine Canyon Drive. Curtin said fire engines could pull completely off the road to use the cistern, leaving it clear for other emergency traffic. Water trucks would fill the tank, he said. The district said construction would be about two-tenths of a mile from the Bald Mountain parking area and would not disrupt access. Curtin described covering the tank with a roughly two-foot mound, revegetating the area and restoring it to a natural condition.
The committee’s recommendation is nonbinding; the county describes the committee’s recommendations to commissioners as advisory.