West side of Twin Lakes to be closed for repairs

The south end of the West Twin Lakes Trail in Gunbarrel will close for up to three weeks for emergency stabilization of a bank along the Boulder and Left Hand Ditch that flows through the area. Boulder County Parks and Open Space plans to start work this week.

Erosion on the bank is threatening the abutment to a footbridge, adding urgency to the project, according to BCPOS Project Manager Mary Olson. She said the problem stems from the impact of people and dogs, "It's like any other park during the pandemic, there's just a lot more traffic out there."

The loop trail is popular with people and dogs, which are allowed off-leash on the trail. The area under construction will be fenced off, restricting access to the south, but the rest of the area will remain open.

Olson said rock will be used to stabilize the bank and crews will be fencing off steep areas that have become a hazard to dogs and people. She said erosion is a problem along the shoreline of the lake as well as the ditch, but fixing that will be a project for the future.

Another problem is "fecal loading in the water," according to Olson. "We're going to have to figure out how to move forward, because ultimately it's going to have negative effects on the watershed," she said. "We need to take a big step back and figure out how to better manage that space. All options will be on the table. We've had a lot of discussions about more fencing or formalized entries into the water. All of that will be discussed."