She was motivated less by environmental concerns than by fear of the river itself. The St. Vrain River had flooded violently several times over the past hundred years, carrying off houses and killing a few people caught unawares by the rising waters. The town's residents already knew what it was like to live under a dam. The Button Rock dam, also owned by Longmont, had been built in 1969 up the north fork of the St. Vrain. And ever since, Lyons had been resisting attempts by Longmont to expand that dam, now renamed Price Reservoir after a former mayor.
Most places keep 'em a quarter down in case there's a flood.
It's kind of scary living under it. They say they got it monitored by a guy up there who'll call and warn everybody if it starts to go. The dam is safe, he says, adding that it's not accurate to suggest that all dams are kept low for flood control. A Longmont city employee does live at the site. After he was elected, he immediately moved that the town do whatever it could to stop the project.