Aerial view of dam at Cherry Creek Reservoir

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) urged public safety when high water is flushed through the Cherry Creek Dam.

USACE said the higher flows through the dam will begin Wednesday. The high-water flows are part of an annual sediment flushing maintenance project aimed at ensuring proper operation of the dam’s outlet gates.

During normal operations, Cherry Creek Dam releases less than 100 cubic feet of water per second. One cubic foot of water is equal to 7.5 gallons, about the volume of a beachball.

During a flush, releases across the dam’s five main outlet gates will fluctuate between 150 and 1,300 cubic feet of water per second between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The higher flows will take an estimated six hours to reach the Champa Street Bridge downstream. Flows from the last gate opened for the flush will reach downtown Denver on Wednesday evening.

The public should not attempt to cross or access Cherry Creek on Wednesday. Higher flush releases may cause minor flooding at low-level crossings or access points downstream of the dam, including Cherry Creek bike paths.

“These annual flushes keep the gates clear of sediment so that gates can operate reliably when needed to help reduce downstream flood risk to people and property in the Denver metropolitan area,” said Joe Maxwell, operations project manager for the USACE Tri-Lakes projects.

USACE owns and operates the Cherry Creek Dam, as well as the Chatfield and Bear Creek dams.