Heads Up August 25, 2022

City welcomes older adults back to the East Age Well Center beginning Sept. 19

The City of Boulder’s Older Adult Services team will welcome older adults back to the East Boulder Community Center, located at 5660 Sioux Drive, with a partial reopening on Sept. 19.

With this partial reopening, older adult community members will again have access to programs and services at two locations in Boulder, the East Age Well Center and the West Age Well Center. The city’s Age Well Centers are dedicated to serving the educational, social and fitness needs of older adults in our community. Fitness classes and learning and social opportunities will be available at both centers.

To accommodate this partial reopening, some resources will be shifted from the West Age Well Center. Both centers will operate on modified hours beginning Sept. 19:

• West Age Well: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• East Age Well: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The East Age Well Center has been closed since March 2020 due to the COVID pandemic and has remained due to budget impacts. Over the last two years, older adult community members have expressed their desire for the return of service to the East Age Well Center and the Older Adult Services team is looking forward to bringing some programming back to this location with the hopes of a full reopening in 2023 pending budget approval.

For more information, please contact Older Adult Services Manager Eden Bailey at baileye@bouldercolorado.gov.

Eurasian watermilfoil, an aquatic invasive plant species, has been detected at Boulder Reservoir

Last week, Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed the presence of Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM), an invasive plant, in the Boulder Reservoir during their semi-annual invasive species monitoring visit. If it becomes established, EWM grows quickly, forms thick mats and disrupts aquatic ecosystems. The invasive plant is not harmful to humans.

The extent and location of EWM in the Reservoir is not yet known as just a fragment was discovered. EWM may have arrived at the Reservoir via wind, fishing, animals, humans or watercraft.

With this discovery, the city will work closely with Colorado Parks and Wildlife this fall to determine whether the plant has been established in the Reservoir.

If EWM establishes and spreads at the Reservoir, the following services could be impacted:

• Swimming – Dense plant growth could limit swimming opportunities. As of now, the plant has not been observed in the Reservoir’s swim beach area.
• Large and small watercraft – EWM can get tangled in boat propellers and engines, which can increase its spread. Dense growth can also make paddle craft use difficult.
• Adjacent bodies of water – EWM may also spread to nearby Coot Lake which would impact fishing. Since EWM is already present in Boulder Creek and several other bodies of water in Boulder County, the impact to these is minimal.
• Drinking water – EWM can cause taste and odor issues in drinking water and clog water intakes and outlets. The Boulder Reservoir Water Treatment Plant primarily treats water directly from Carter Lake through a pipeline. However, since the Reservoir serves as a water supply for the region and a backup water supply for the city, Northern Water and the city are partnering on planning and future management.

The city will continue to run its existing watercraft inspection and decontamination program and implement the following additional precautionary measures to minimize EWM’s spread and educate Reservoir visitors:

• City staff will continue to inspect large watercraft exiting the Reservoir. Boaters will receive a blue paper receipt indicating that their boat was last inspected at an ANS-positive body of water.
• City staff will inspect small watercraft exiting the Reservoir, as allowed, and educate visitors about EWM.
• Watercraft are not allowed on the North shore. Anyone with watercraft or a flotation device in this area and around Coot Lake will be issued a summons with a potential fine.
• Signage about EWM will be posted around the Reservoir.

For more information, please contact Parks and Recreation Director Ali Rhodes at rhodesa@bouldercolorado.gov.

Regards,
Nuria