Natural Security: Grand Junction, Colorado
Restoration of a Community Asset
Challenge
For decades, Grand Junction degraded and ignored the Colorado River. The city was home to the Climax Uranium Company, which processed uranium and vanadium, producing 2.2 million tons of low-level radioactive waste tailings over the course of 20 years. Much of waste was left at the processing site on the north bank of the Colorado River after the plant closed. Throughout the 1950s, a gravel mining company operated nearby and dug a deep hole into a northern side-channel of the Colorado River, using it as a sanitary landfill and dumpsite for uranium tailings. The community also used the floodplain as a salvage yard, filling it with scrap metal and cars for years, giving rise to the nickname “Grand Junk-tion.”
A volatile economic environment added to the challenge facing Grand Junction and its neglected rivers. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, oil companies flocked to Western Colorado to harvest oil shale. As they set up projects, masses of people moved to the area and populations in some small towns increased by 400 percent. When Exxon canceled these operations in 1982, the regional economy collapsed. Within five years, Grand Junction lost 10 percent of its population and saw over 4,000 foreclosures, leaving nearly 15 percent of homes vacant. The oil shale bust turned Grand Junction into a ghost town with few economic prospects.
Approach
In an effort to revive itself from the oil shale bust, the City of Grand Junction recognized that it needed to diversify its economic base and attract new residents and tourists. With ample housing stock and beautiful natural surroundings, Grand Junction promoted itself as a destination for retirees and outdoor enthusiasts. As part of this effort, the city needed to confront the consequences of its industrial past and reconnect to its greatest natural assets: the Colorado and Gunnison rivers.
Restoration efforts began in 1985 with a clean-up project on the 30-acre weed- and junk-infested Watson Island. The Grand Junction/Mesa County Riverfront Commission was formed in 1987 to purchase Watson Island and guide the clean-up and redevelopment. For two years, volunteers spent countless hours cleaning the island by hand. The city hauled away 25 years of salvage yard scrap metal, 4,000 tires and over 400 truckloads of waste to the landfill. Restoration was completed in 1991, and the island is now home to hiking trails, an amphitheater, a botanical garden and a butterfly house.
Since the Watson Island project, the Grand Junction/Mesa County Riverfront Commission has undertaken a number of riverfront restoration initiatives. What began as a local clean-up project expanded into a valley-wide effort to reclaim the rivers and their floodplains as social, economic and recreational amenities. The city worked with the Department of Energy to remove a 30-foot mound of untreated tailings from a 107-acre parcel of land. It was subsequently developed into a park that will soon include bike trails, an ampitheater, a boat launch, board walks and a civic center. Another focus of the riverfront redevelopment has been the Jarvis Property, a parcel of land that housed a landfill, uranium mill tailings and a salvage yard with over 5,000 vehicles. Today, hiking and biking trails connect the Jarvis Property with Watson Island to the east and other riverside parks to the west. Grand Junction recently developed a plan to redevelop the property into a mixed use area that includes housing and green space.
In addition to restoration of riverfront properties, Grand Junction, surrounding towns and state agencies are working to improve recreational opportunities on the river. Grand Junction is connecting its restored properties with a pedestrian pathway known as the Riverfront Trail. The long-term vision would connect many towns along the Colorado River with over 140 miles of trails. In addition, the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Colorado State Parks have created a state park along the Colorado River with nearly two dozen miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding and venues for fishing, swimming, boating and many other activities.
Benefits
River restoration efforts in the Grand Junction area have revitalized the local economy, strengthened ecosystems and greatly improved the quality of life for area residents. The expansion of trails and parks around Grand Junction has reconnected the community with valuable natural resources. Over 450,000 visitors come to Colorado Rivers State Park to bike, fish, swim, camp, hike and boat. There are numerous community events around the river including concerts, triathlons, bike rides, raft races, and festivals. On Watson Island, native gardens, the butterfly house and the amphitheater offer educational and entertainment venues. In addition, successful marketing of the region’s natural amenities and recreational opportunities helped the population in Mesa County to grow nearly 45 percent from 1990 to 2000. Tourism accounts for 17 percent of the jobs and 11 percent of the income in Mesa County. Once dependent on mining and agriculture, Grand Junction now has a more stable and diverse economy because of its improved quality of life and outdoor amenities.
Finally, the riverfront movement has inspired an ethic of citizen involvement in protecting the natural resources that are vital to the community and the local economy. The Urban Trails Committee works to develop bicycle and pedestrian trails within Grand Junction and to connect these paths to the river trail. The Tamarisk Coalition started removing invasive vegetation from the Colorado riverfront in Grand Junction in 2000 and has since broadened its efforts to the state and even to Mexico. Progress on the Riverfront Project has been the result of tireless community effort and continues to move forward as the river becomes part of everyday life of Colorado River communities.
Adapting to a Changing Climate
By restoring its riverfront and embracing the Colorado River, Grand Junction has not only corrected decades of neglect; it has also increased its ability to absorb the impacts of global warming and remain a vibrant community even as temperatures rise, floods and droughts increase and water pollution worsens. In the absence of efforts to adapt, climate change will degrade the quality of life by increasing waterborne disease, worsening water quality problems and threatening the supply of clean water that drives the local economy. Fortunately, Grand Junction’s restoration efforts will absorb the increases in runoff, prevent more water pollution and protect the Colorado River as a vital community resource. With a more diversified economy, the city will also be better prepared to weather the economic disruptions that will spread throughout the country in an uncertain future. Finally, the growing dedication of Grand Junction residents to the health of the river will help ensure that the city remains a good steward of its natural resources even as they are increasingly tested by rising temperatures. The city’s restoration efforts have tied its future to the Colorado River, and it will continue to reap the benefits in a changing climate.
