AURORA —The High Line Canal, which snakes through 11.3 miles of Aurora before it ends near the airport, is the focal point of a planned recreational renaissance that could repurpose the obsolete water system into a natural preserve that would keep it from disappearing into time and modern development.

“The High Line goes behind numerous communities and residences along its path through Aurora,” said Harriet Crittenden LaMair, executive director of the High Line Canal Conservancy, a collection of government representatives from 11 jurisdictions dedicated to creating a future for the 71-mile canal.

“But we also have some very challenged areas, and we’re excited about that, because it provides opportunity for new and different types of enhancements in Aurora,” she said.

The High Line Canal was dug by hand in 1883 and fed more than 20,000 acres of dry farmland between what is now west of Littleton to Adams County. In 1909, the High Line was a vital water source for Aurora, but that time has passed.

“There hasn’t been water delivered to many of the miles here in Aurora for years,” Crittenden LaMair said. “Today, it takes about two weeks to get water out to Aurora when it does run, and it doesn’t seem to help to the extent that we would like it to.”

The canal still delivers water to some customers along its route, but Denver Water is in the process of transitioning customers off the canal because of its inefficacy. About 60 to 80 percent of the water leaks out before it ever reaches a paying water customer.

The High Line Canal Conservancy is working closely with Aurora to develop a plan to preserve the entirety of the canal and finish its trail system.

“In Aurora, we have what I think is the most difficult crossing of the canal, and that is Interstate 70,” said Tracy Young, manager of planning, design and construction at Aurora Parks, Recreation and Open Space. “We definitely have the most challenges in our reach, but we also have the most opportunities. My goal is to get that (last) 4.2-mile section of trail built.”

The conservancy is beginning an outreach campaign to collect neighborhood input for how to preserve the canal, which is owned by Denver Water.

“There will be four months of public open houses starting in June,” said Suzanna Fry Jones, spokeswoman for the High Line Canal Conservancy. “We want them to help us tell the future story of the canal so that the vision comes from the community, not us.”

Crittenden LaMair compared the development possibilities of the High Line Canal to the High Line in New York, which was a deserted railroad above the meat packing district that was converted into public recreation and natural space, which she said attracts millions of visitors a year.

Dala Giffin, a 34-year Aurora resident who has biked the High Line Canal Trail for years, said its maintenance and enhancement as a recreational system is imperative.

“We need to get back to the health and the happiness of our populace, especially as we’re becoming far more urban,” she said. “People who use these trails are happy. In order to have an urban population that stays engaged and vibrant, we need to have the outdoors preserved.”

The canal threads 6,000 acres of green space throughout the region, which equals 860 acres of potential park space.

“Colorado is projected to get 2.3 million more people by 2040 … and most of them will want to recreate,” Crittenden LaMair said. “These trails through Aurora — the High Line, Tollgate Creek, Westerly Creek, Triple Creek, Sand Creek — are going to be critical resources.”

Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, mmitchell@denverpost.com or @Mmitchelldp

Open house

When: 4-8 p.m. June 8

Where: Aurora Central Library, 14949 E. Alameda Parkway

Info: highlinecanal.org/ community