Cherry Knolls 5: The Cherry Knolls Pond

One of the gems of our lovely Cherry Knolls and Knolls neighborhoods is the Cherry Knolls Pond, nestled between Cherry Knolls Park and the Knolls subdivision next to Big Dry Creek. It’s a little oasis for wildlife, and a pleasant place to spend a summer afternoon fishing or picnicking. Cherry Knolls Pond was one of the top ten “suburban ponds” offering fun for anglers featured in a 2017 “Colorado Outdoors” article.

The pond is rich with wildlife, including sightings of deer, wild turkeys, coyotes, foxes, rabbits (of course), Canada geese (of course), snow geese, hawks, wigeons, shovelers, turtles, muskrats, several kinds of ducks, and even a bald eagle. The pond isn’t stocked, but wily carp can be seen taunting anglers while bluegill are easy to catch when the pond is in prime condition. If you download the free iNaturalist app and search for "Cherry Knolls Pond," you'll see a special site devoted to cataloging all of the dozens of different plants and wildlife that have been reported on that app in or near the pond.

The first aerial photography showing the pond is from late 1954. That photo - reprinted here - shows a pond about half its current size, surrounded by farmland and with scarcely a tree in sight except along Big Dry Creek and the High Line Canal.The first depiction of the pond on a topographical map is from 1958, where it appeared as a tiny, unnamed seasonal pond. Before 1958, topo maps showed merely Big Dry Creek, with virtually no buildings in our area south of the Curtis School at Orchard and University.

The pond sits on land owned by the South Suburban Parks and Recreation District (SSPRD). Dave Brueggeman, a 43-year SSPRD veteran and Assistant Director of Parks and Open Space for SSPRD, says the pond likely started out as an agricultural or livestock pond. “It’s a dead-end pond with very localized drainage,” Dave says, meaning that it’s fed “purely by mother nature,” with the volume and quality of its water depending on overall water conditions.

I asked Dave about recent times when the pond has smelled … let’s just say somewhat unfresh. “It’s kind of cyclical,” Dave says of Cherry Knolls Pond. “Dead-end bodies of water can go to where the water is dead, but they just have a way of rejuvenating.” While SSPRD has installed an aerator to pump in oxygen, diverting water from Big Dry Creek to supply the pond with a flow of fresh water isn’t practical: a gravity diversion would require diversion all the way from the first footbridge crossing of Big Dry Creek just north of Dry Creek Road. Instead, in years when “free river” water flows allow diversion, SSPRD mechanically pumps water into the pond from the creek.

Apparently no one knows any name for the pond other than Cherry Knolls Pond, and that name has been used in water court filings for at least 20 years. SSPRD has filed water court cases to allow it to divert water to the pond for wildlife, recreation and aesthetic purposes (Englewood Herald, 8/13/2019, p. 32). About 15 years ago the pond was dredged down to clay, and the current outlet at the north end of the pond was installed together with the aerator. (The green metal box north of the pond houses the aerator machinery.)

Please be gentle with our nice little pond! It’s so important for our wildlife and it’s hard to restore if it gets polluted.

Cherry Knolls was incorporated in May 1960, which is why you see so many mature trees, larger yards, and a diversity of homes. Neighbors range from young families to original homeowners. Our parks, schools, and pool are tightly woven into neighborhood life. The baby sitting co-op is the longest operating organization of its type in the Denver area. There are several other caches in the vicinity that can be accessed by a pleasant stroll along Big Dry Creek. If you see any litter, please CITO (Cache In Trash Out)! Happy hunting!