Laserfiche WebLink
<br />~ <br /> <br />The principal storage features are Lake Granby, Grand Lake, and Shadow Mountain Reservoir <br />located on the Colorado River near Granby, and Willow Creek Reservoir located on Willow <br />Creek, a tributary to the Colorado River below Lake Granby. Willow Creek Pumping Plant lifts <br />the water 175 feet, which then flows by gravity via the Willow Creek Feeder Canal to Lake <br />Granby. <br /> <br />Granby Pumping Plant lifts the water from 86 feet to 185 feet from Lake Granby to Granby <br />Pump Canal. The canal conveys the water 1.8 miles to Shadow Mountain Lake, which also <br />intercepts North Fork flows of the Colorado River. Shadow Mountain Lake connects with Grand <br />Lake to make a single body of water from which diversions flow to Adams Tunnel to begin the <br />journey to the eastern slope. <br /> <br />Emerging from Adams Tunnel into the East Portal Reservoir, the water flows across Aspen <br />Creek Valley in a siphon and then under Rams Horn Mountain through a tunnel. At this point, it <br />enters a steel penstock and falls 205 feet to Marys Lake Power plant. This power plant is located <br />on the west shore of Marys Lake, which provides afterbay and forebay capacity for re-regulating <br />the flow. The water is conveyed between Marys Lake and Estes Power plant, on the shore of <br />Lake Estes, by Prospect Mountain Conduit and Prospect Mountain Tunnel. <br /> <br />Lake Estes, located below Estes Power Plant, is formed by Olympus Dam along the Big <br />Thompson River. The afterbay storage in Lake Estes and the forebay storage in Marys Lake <br />enable the Estes Power plant to meet daily variations in energy demand. <br /> <br />Water from Lake Estes, as well as some of the Big Thompson River flows, is conveyed by <br />Olympus Siphon and Tunnel, and Pole Hill Tunnel and Canal, to a penstock through which the <br />water drops 815 feet to Pole Hill Power plant. The flow is then routed through Pole Hill Power <br />Plant Afterbay, Rattlesnake Tunnel, Pinewood Lake, and Bald Mountain Pressure Tunnel, and <br />eventually dropped 1,055 feet through two penstocks to Flatiron Power plant. This power plant <br />discharges into Flatiron Reservoir, which regulates the water for release to the foothills storage <br />and distribution system. The afterbay storage in Flatiron Reservoir and the forebay storage in <br />Pinewood Lake enable Flatiron Power plant to meet daily power loads. <br /> <br />Southward, the Flatiron reversible pump/turbine lifts water from Flatiron Reservoir, a maximum <br />of 297 feet, and delivers it through Carter Lake Pressure Conduit and Tunnel to Carter Lake. <br />When the flow is reversed, the unit acts as a turbine-generator and produces electric energy. <br /> <br />The St. Vrain Supply Canal delivers water from Carter Lake to the Little Thompson River, St. <br />Vrain Creek, and Boulder Creek Supply Canal. The latter delivers water to Boulder Creek and <br />Boulder Reservoir. The South Platte Supply Canal, diverting from Boulder Creek, delivers water <br />to the South Platte River. <br /> <br />Northward, the Charles Hansen Feeder Canal transports water from Flatiron Reservoir to the Big <br />Thompson River and Horsetooth Reservoir. The canal crosses the Big Thompson River in a <br />siphon above the river and highway. Water from the Big Thompson River can be diverted into <br /> <br />5 <br />