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Major Storage Projects Reservoir Normal Storage (acre-feet) 152,000 112,200 97,800 74,590 79,064 74,590 37,700 28,840 65,000 53,873 43,344 35,629 32, 1 00 32,400 41,811 31 ,800 26,600 29,732 25,618 19,795 16,080 18,747 13,226 Horsetooth Reservoir Carter Lake Eleven Mile Canyon Reservoir North Sterling Cheesman Reservoir Point of Rocks Empire Reservoir Prewitt Reservoir Riverside Reservoir Spinney Mountain Reservoir Standley Lake Jackson Reservoir Barr Lake Aurora Reservoir Gross Reservoir Julesburg Reservoir Chatfield Reservoir Milton Reservoir Antero Reservoir Marston Reservoir Button Rock Reservoir Horse Creek Reservoir Cherry Creek Reservoir Source: Colorado Division of Water Resources Office of Dam Safety Database Annual Discharges South Platte River at Julesburg 800 Q; ~ 700 ~ (J ~ 600 o o ~ 500 ~ C'l:I "fi 400 II) is >- 300 ::c C ~ 200 Q) Ol E 100 Q) > <( Average Annual Discharge: Min. Annual Discharge: Max. Annual Discharge: 393,599 AF 55,392 AF (1956) 2,086,838 AF (1983) D Avg Year . Max Year DMinYear o Oet Nov Dee Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Source: U. S. Geological Survey Water Data Reporls Major Water Rights Calls The South Platte River is overappropriated. During most days and most years, there is a call somewhere on the South Platte River. In the summer, the entire river is generally controlled by direct flow calls that have priorities in the 1870s and 1880s. At times there may be as many as six ditches taking the entire river flow at their headgates. The major tributaries also have internal calls during the majority of the year which result in junior water rights being curtailed from diverting water in those drainages. In the summer the calling ditches on the Cache la Poudre, Big Thompson and Saint Vrain Rivers and Boulder, Clear and Bear Creeks have priorities that are generally in the 1860s and are senior to the call on the South Platte River. There- fore, the calls on the South Platte generally do not affect the tributaries. Stream and Lake Protection There are 212 instream flow segments totaling approxi- mately 1,339 stream miles in this basin. There are also 35 lakes with decreed natural lake levels. These decreed water rights are held by the CWCB to "protect the natural environment to a reasonable degree." The decreed flow or lake level for each of these instream flow segments and natural lakes is based on the flow or lake level required to maintain the water-dependent natural environment. Source: Colorado Water Conservation Board Hydrological Variations Annual and seasonal variations are shown below for the South Platte River at Denver and Julesburg. Gage Maximum Recorded Flow (cfs) 40,300 (1965) 37,600 (1965) Minimum Recorded Flow (cfs) 8.8 (1951) 0.0 (1902) At Denver At Julesburg Source: U. S. Geological Survey Water Data Reporls ( South Platte River Basin Facts - 2 )