Gross Reservoir

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Gross Reservoir
Gross Reservoir.JPG
The reservoir in 2014.
Location of Gross Reservoir in Colorado, USA.
Location of Gross Reservoir in Colorado, USA.
Gross Reservoir
LocationBoulder County, Colorado
Coordinates39°56′31″N 105°22′22″W / 39.94194°N 105.37278°W / 39.94194; -105.37278Coordinates: 39°56′31″N 105°22′22″W / 39.94194°N 105.37278°W / 39.94194; -105.37278
Typereservoir
EtymologyNamed for Denver Water former Chief Engineer Dwight D. Gross.[1]
Primary outflowsSouth Boulder Creek
Basin countriesUnited States
Managing agencyDenver Water
Water volume41,811 acre⋅ft (51,573,000 m3)
Surface elevation2,222 m (7,290 ft)[2]

Gross Reservoir, located in Boulder County, Colorado, is owned and operated by Denver Water. Completed in 1954, the reservoir has a surface area of 440 acres, and the spillway sits at 7,225 feet elevation.[1]

The reservoir receives water from the western side of the Continental Divide through the Moffat Tunnel. South Boulder Creek flows out of the 340 foot-high dam.

Recreation[]

The reservoir provides opportunities for fishing (including ice fishing), hiking, canoeing, kayaking, and some camping. No water-contact sports such as swimming or wading are allowed. Only non-motorized boats are permitted — the type that can be attached to the top of a car.[1]

Expansion project[]

The proposed expansion of Gross Reservoir would allow Denver Water to store 77,000 additional acre feet of water, drawn mostly from the Fraser and Williams Fork Rivers.[3] Construction on the project, expected to be complete around 2025, will raise the level of the dam by 131 feet (40 meters), resulting in an additional 77,000 acre-feet (95,000,000 cubic meters) of water storage capacity in the reservoir and making it the tallest dam in Colorado.[4]

Denver Water applied to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a permit under section 404 of the Clean Water Act, required to construct the expansion, and that permit was granted in 2017.[5] In response, several environmental groups sued USACE on grounds that the agency's deliberations about granting the permit violated the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Environmental Policy Act.[6] In July 2020 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted a required modification to the Federal Power Act license granted to Colorado Water for Gross Dam before it was built.[7]

A contract for design services was awarded to Stantec, an engineering consulting firm, in 2017.

Boulder County announced in spring 2019 that it would require Denver Water to obtain a land use permit under Colorado law before commencing the expansion project.[8] Denver Water submitted its application for that permit in September 2020.[9]

See also[]

  • List of largest reservoirs of Colorado
  • List of reservoirs in Colorado

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Denver Water. Gross Reservoir. Viewed 2014-09-22.
  2. ^ "Gross Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
  3. ^ Gardner-Smith, Brent (20 April 2016). "Denver Water official says more West Slope water projects 'not on our radar'". Aspen Journalism. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  4. ^ Brennan, Charlie (2 January 2018). "Denver firm awarded $13M design contract for expansion of Boulder County's Gross Reservoir". Boulder Daily Camera. Boulder, CO. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  5. ^ Ingram, Elizabeth (12 July 2017). "Denver Water approved to expand reservoir behind Gross Dam". Hydro Review. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  6. ^ Brennan, Charlie (19 December 2018). "Environmental groups sue to block expansion of Boulder County's Gross Reservoir". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  7. ^ Jones, Corey H. (17 July 2020). "Boulder County's Gross Reservoir Can Proceed With Expansion Following Lawsuit". CPR News. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  8. ^ Lacey, Hank (24 November 2020). "Gross Reservoir Expansion Proposal Presents Water Demand, Environmental Concerns". Law Week Colorado. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  9. ^ Swearingen, Deborah (5 October 2020). "County's review of proposed Gross Reservoir expansion underway". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved 25 November 2020.

External links[]

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