WSP11583

• File Number: 8407
• Description: Platte River Basin - River Basin General Publications
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 2/1/1963
• Author: BOR
• Title: Reconnaissance Report - Cache La Poudre Unit - Colorado - Longs Peak Division - Missouri River Basin Project
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

.

.

.

...~,..,.,.,~
I) '_J :... .:.. .... u

Cache la Poudre :Basin. An annual average of 105,500 acre-feet
of Colorado-Big Thompson Project water bas been dellvered to the
Cache la Poudre water users from Horsetooth Reservoir during the
period of 1953-1960. The first significant deliveries of C-BT to
the Cache la Poudre Water users began in 1953,

Water Su~

The Cache la Pouclre :Basin is distinctly divided into two
parts: a mountainous area in which virtually all of the surface
water supply originates and a plains area in which the water supply
is used. The analysis of water supply and ut1l1zation covered the
period 1947-1960 which is believed to be representative of 1\rture
long-term hylh'ologic conditions 1n the bas1n. The study per10d
includes years of norr.al and above-normal water supply as well as
the critical drought of the mid-fi:f'ties. Other factors which
influenced selection of this study period were in1tiation of the
Colorado-Big Thompson Project,.de1iveries to the Cache la Poudre in
1953 and avallab1llty of stream-flow records.

Records of Stream-now

The records of stream gaging stations as published by the USGS,
were used extensively in the water supply studies for the Cache la
Poudre Unit. The gaging stations and periods of record are llsted
in the tabulation presented below:
.

Ga in Station '.y

Drainage area Period of con-
S uare Miles tinuous record

MaximUm
DiSCharge
Recorded

Cache la Poudre River at Mouth 1883 to Not
of Canyon near Ft, Collins 1,048 present determined
l'lorth Fork, Cache la Poudre May 1947 to 6,800 cfs
River near Livermore 566 present 5/31/30
Cache la Poudre River below May 1946 to 4,900 cfs
Elkhorn Creek 407 Sept. 1959 6/30/57
Cache la Pouclre River near Sept. 1956 3,610 cfs
Rustic 199 to present 6/29/57
South Fork Cache 18 Poudre August 1956 1,120 cfs
River near Rustic 90.3 to present 6/29/57
Cache la Poudre River near June 1924 4,220 cfa
Greelel 1,840 to present 6/24/26_
y Certo.1n other stations were in operation within the Cache 18
poudre drainage basin during periods prior to the period of study. These
are described in the South Platte Basin Report of 1959,
Y Maximum diScharge of record has not been determined. Several
floods in excess of 10,000 cfs have been reported or recorded.

12