Chatfield Reservoir

Chatfield Dam and Reservoir is a dam and artificial lake located on the South Platte River, south of Littleton, Colorado. The dam and reservoir were built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers as a response to the disastrous flood of 1965. In addition to its primary purpose of flood control, it serves as one of many water supply reservoirs for the city of Denver, Colorado. In 1966, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission projected a total federal cost of $74 million.[2] Construction of the project was begun in 1967 and the dam was completed in 1975.

Chatfield Reservoir
Chatfield Reservoir
Location of Chatfield Reservoir in Colorado, USA.
Location of Chatfield Reservoir in Colorado, USA.
Chatfield Reservoir
Location of Chatfield Reservoir in Colorado, USA.
Location of Chatfield Reservoir in Colorado, USA.
Chatfield Reservoir
LocationDouglas and Jefferson counties, Colorado, U.S.
Coordinates39°32′50″N 105°03′54″W
Typereservoir
Primary inflowsSouth Platte River
Primary outflowsSouth Platte River
Catchment area3,018 sq mi (7,820 km2)
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area1,500 acres (610 ha) (Normal pool)
4,822 acres (1,951 ha) (Max. Pool)
Max. depth47 m (154 ft)
Chatfield Dam
Chatfield Dam
Chatfield Reservoir is located in Colorado
Chatfield Reservoir
Location of Chatfield Dam and Reservoir in Colorado
StatusOperational
Construction began1967 (1967)
Opening date1975 (1975)
Owner(s) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District[1]
Dam and spillways
Type of damRolled earth fill
Height147 ft (45 m)
Length13,136 ft (4,004 m)
Width (crest)30 ft (9 m)
Dam volume17,255,100 cu yd (13,192,471 m3)
Reservoir
Total capacity355,000 acre⋅ft (437,886,052 m3)
Inactive capacity27,076 acre⋅ft (33,397,754 m3)
Maximum length2 mi (3 km)
Normal elevation5,432 ft (1,656 m) - 5,500 ft (1,676 m) MSL

The massive breastworks of the dam measure approximately 13,136 feet (4,004 m) in length with a maximum height of the dam of 135 feet (41 m) above the streambed. The normal depth of the lake is 59 feet (18 m) at its deepest point. This means the dam towers 88 feet (27 m) above the mean surface of the reservoir.

The lake drains an area of more than 3,000 square miles (8,000 km2). The 1,500 acre (6 km2) lake has a conservation storage capacity of 27,000 acre⋅ft (0.033 km3) with a flood-control pool of over 350,000 acre⋅ft (0.43 km3)

Chatfield State Park

The reservoir is surrounded by Chatfield State Park, a recreation area with boating, horseback riding and camping. A secondary inflow from the south is Plum Creek. A tertiary inflow from the west is Deer Creek.

There are 212 bird species that are frequently found at Chatfield Reservoir. These birds either permanently live there or just go there to rest after long migrations. There is a Chatfield bird watch list that anyone can access. The bald eagle, white pelican and burrowing owl have been seen.[3]

Chatfield Reservoir Reallocation Project

The Chatfield Reservoir Reallocation Project, a US$171 million construction project that took place between 2017 and 2020, created an additional 20,600 acre-feet (25,400,000 cubic meters) of water storage in the reservoir, raising its level by about 12 feet (3.7 meters). The project involved moving some of the surrounding park's facilities back from the new, higher lake levels.[4][5][6]

See also

References
  1. "Chatfield Project Statistics".
  2. "CQ Alamanc 1966". cqpress.com. Congressional Quarterly. 1967. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  3. "Nature". Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 2014-10-21.
  4. "State and Federal Partners Finalize Chatfield Reservoir Reallocation Project with Environmental, Agricultural, Recreational Benefits". Colorado Water Conservation Board. Colorado Department of Natural Resources. 2020-05-13. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  5. Rubino, Joe (2017-06-27). "Chatfield Reservoir expansion project will start this fall". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
  6. "Project Overview". Chatfield Storage Reallocation Project. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
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