PROJ00400

• Contract/PO #: C153588
• Contractor Name: Greeley, City of
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 3
• County: Larimer
• Bill Number: SB 89-85
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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flows were estimated as 37 percent of the annual flows in Barnes Meadow Creek,
and the potenti ally di verti bl e fl ows from Joe Wri ght Creek were approximated
as 37 percent of the i nfl ow to Chambers Lake, 1 ess the amount stored in Joe
Wright Reservoir and Chambers Lake.

Operations of the upstream reservoirs were evaluated to determine the annual
storage depletions. Chambers Lake is owned by Water Supply and Storage
Company. Each year the reservoi r is empti ed duri ng the i rri gati on season and
refilled in the spring. Joe Wright Reservoir was emptied each year before
being acquired and enlarged by the City of Fort Collins; now the reservoir
remains nearly full most of the time, with releases ranging between 1,000 and
2,000 acre-ft annually. For the water supply analysis, divertible flows were
approximated by reducing the computed Chambers Lake April and June inflows by
10,300 acre-ft, 8,800 acre-ft for storage in Chambers Lake and 1,500 acre-ft
for storage in Joe Wright Reservoir.

Table IV.8, which is presented in the following section of the report displays
the results of the water supply and utilization analysis. For the 1950
through 1984 study period, Barnes Meadow Reservoir could fill about 54 percent
of the time.

Table IV.7 shows the historic water levels in the reservoir, based on the gage
height. The gage heights for Chambers Lake and Joe Wright Reservoir are also
shown. Thi s i nformati on was obtai ned from the Cache 1 a Poudre Ri ver Water
Commissioner and the Colorado State Engineer's Office. Whether or not Barnes
Meadow Reservoir filled in a given year was not always a function of the
availability of water. In May 1959, the reservoir spilled and was nearly
overtopped. The dam was in serious danger of fail ing due to insufficient
spill way capacity. Pri or to the dam repai rand enl argement accomp1 i shed in
1972 and 1973, the reservoir was restricted to a filling depth of 24 ft by the
Colorado State Engi neer. Pri or to 1980 the maximum capaci ty of Joe Wri ght
Reservoi r was at gage hei ght 42. Si nce the enl argement, the reservoi r can
fill to a depth of 105 ft. Some of the zero storage years shown on the table
were a result of construction activities associated with repair,
rehabilitation, and enlargement of the dams.

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