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<br />HISTORY OF ORIGINAL CASTLEHOOD DAIl (;ONT 'D. ) <br /> <br />ships and reorga11izations. At one time it was controlled and operated <br /> <br /> <br />by the Denver Land and Hater Co., organized in 1898. From 1910 to 1916 <br /> <br /> <br />it functioned as the Denver Suburban Homes and TIater Co. In 1925 the <br /> <br /> <br />Cherry Creek Eutua1 Irrigation Co. was organized (with 5,257 shares of <br /> <br /> <br />stock - some of which is now owned by water users along Cherry Creek. <br /> <br /> <br />but principally the stock is held by Denver residents), whioh oompany <br /> <br /> <br />operated the system, until Castlewood dam failed in August, 1933. Sinoe <br /> <br /> <br />the failure of the dam, the project has not functioned. Y~e are advised <br /> <br /> <br />that suits against the company are pending, for damages caused by the <br /> <br /> <br />failure of the dam. <br /> <br /> <br />As originally construoted, Castlewood Dam was a oombined <br /> <br /> <br />masonry and rockfill structure, erected on an unstable and overloaded <br /> <br /> <br />foundation. It had a top crest length of 600 feet, vertical upstream face. <br /> <br /> <br />d~rnstream slope of 1:1, and was about 80 feet high at its maximum sec- <br /> <br /> <br />tion. The upstream face, of rubble masonry laid in cement mortar, was <br /> <br /> <br />4 feet thick. D~rnstream face, of similar construction, was laid in <br /> <br /> <br />steps. Between the two faces loose stone was dumped. The spillway was <br /> <br /> <br />a notch 100 feet long by 4 feet deep. Bypasses 40 feet long. which <br /> <br /> <br />originally had been provided at each end of the dam. were later closed <br /> <br /> <br />to prevent erosion of abutments. ~ring the first few years of operation, <br /> <br /> <br />settlement permitted by overloaded foundations, created cracks and ex- <br /> <br /> <br />cessive leakage. 1m attempt to stop leakage was made by placing an <br /> <br /> <br />earthen blanket or fill in front of the dam. <br /> <br /> <br />In spite of faulty original design and its dangerous con- <br /> <br /> <br />dition throughout its life, Castlewood Dam functioned 43 years. Then, <br /> <br /> <br />in August 1933, a cloudburst centered over the watershed, creating a flood <br /> <br /> <br />that filled the reservoir (at the time it was about half-full, having <br /> <br />-9- <br />