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47-680: Like its sister–project, the Colorado–Big Thompson Project , the Fry-Ark brings available water from Colorado's West Slope to the more arid, and more heavily populated, East Slope, providing supplemental water to over 720,000 people and 280,600 acres (113,600 ha) of irrigable land in Colorado Springs , Pueblo , La Junta , Lamar , and other southeastern Colorado municipalities each year. The project diverts and delivers an average of 52,000  acre⋅ft (64,000,000 m) of water

94-986: A pump-generating unit . Water flows south from Carter Lake into the St. Vrain Supply Canal, which provides water to the Little Thompson River and Saint Vrain Creek . From the end of the St. Vrain Canal the Boulder Creek Supply Canal extends southward to Boulder Creek , and the South Platte Supply Canal extends northeast from there to the South Platte River . 40°09′19″N 105°51′21″W  /  40.155191°N 105.855794°W  / 40.155191; -105.855794 Front Range The Front Range

141-618: A much older mantle, cooling to form what is now known as the Precambrian Pikes Peak Granite . Over the next 500 million years, the granite eroded with no sedimentation forming over this first uplift, resulting in a local expression of the Great Unconformity . At about 500–300 million years ago, the region began to sink and sediments began to deposit in the newly formed accommodation space. Eroded granite produced sand particles that began to form strata, layers of sediment, in

188-719: A small diversion facility located directly below the confluence of the Colorado and Fraser rivers, about 5 miles (8.0 km) downstream of Granby. Water from the Fraser River, as well as other inflows to the Colorado below Granby Dam, is diverted here and pumped eastwards to Lake Granby. The Windy Gap project is not owned by the Bureau of Reclamation, but by the Municipal Subdistrict, a consortium of 14 Front Range cities, water providers and an electric utility. However, Windy Gap water uses

235-526: A small regulating pool on the Wind River . From here it is transported via an inverted siphon across the Aspen Creek valley and drops 205 feet (62 m) to Mary’s Lake, where it drives the 8.1 megawatt (MW) Mary’s Lake Powerplant. Mary’s Lake is a small natural lake enlarged to form a second regulatory reservoir. The water then drops 515 feet (157 m) to the 45-MW Estes Powerplant at Lake Estes , which

282-453: A year to be diverted, annual diversions average around 220,000 acre-feet (270,000,000 m ), instead. A drop of over 2000 vertical feet from the Rockies down to the plains allows for power generation. Seven power plants on the project produce an average supply of 759 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year. Like the water supply, generated electricity is supplemental. Electricity produced on

329-487: A year. However, the water right on the Fry-Ark allows for a diversion of 2,352,800 acre⋅ft (2.9021 × 10 m) over the course of 34 consecutive years, but not to exceed a diversion of 120,000 acre⋅ft (150,000,000 m) in any one single year. In 2011, when Colorado had an abundance of snow, the Fry-Ark imported about 98,000 acre⋅ft (121,000,000 m) from the West Slope, the second highest diversion amount in

376-577: Is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado , and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming . It is the first mountain range encountered as one goes westbound along the 40th parallel north across the Great Plains of North America. The Front Range runs north-south between Casper, Wyoming , and Pueblo, Colorado , and rises nearly 10,000 feet above

423-509: Is also applied to the Front Range urban corridor , the populated region of Colorado and Wyoming just east of the mountain range and extending from Cheyenne, Wyoming south to Pueblo, Colorado . This urban corridor benefits from the weather-moderating effect of the Front Range mountains, which help block prevailing storms. About 1 billion years ago, a mass of magma rose to the surface through

470-512: Is formed by Olympus Dam on the Big Thompson River at Estes Park. With its small storage capacity, Lake Estes provides limited regulation of both C-BT water and the natural flows of the Big Thompson River, including diversion of some Big Thompson River water for non-consumptive use in hydroelectric power generation. From Lake Estes the water travels east via the Olympus and Pole Hill Tunnels to

517-399: Is the primary C-BT storage facility, with a capacity of 539,800 acre-feet (0.6658 km ). The reservoir is held by the 298-foot (91 m) high Granby Dam and 12,722 feet (3,878 m) of auxiliary dikes. Willow Creek Reservoir is built on Willow Creek, which is located west of Lake Granby, and provides a source from which water is diverted and pumped to Granby. Windy Gap Reservoir is

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564-1065: The Cache La Poudre River , all of which are a part of the South Platte River basin and flow into the South Platte River before the South Platte reaches Greeley, Colorado. In search of a solution, farmers and their representatives approached the Bureau of Reclamation. In the late 1930s a solution was found: divert the water via a 13.2-mile (21.2 km)-long tunnel under the Continental Divide and Rocky Mountain National Park . (Tunnel West Portal 40°14′28.16″N 105°48′07.36″W  /  40.2411556°N 105.8020444°W  / 40.2411556; -105.8020444 , Tunnel East Portal 40°19′39.85″N 105°34′46.34″W  /  40.3277361°N 105.5795389°W  / 40.3277361; -105.5795389 ) The proposed water diversion

611-677: The Fort Hays Limestone member forms flatirons or secondary hogbacks on the east slope of the Dakota Hogback. The non-chalky shales of the Pierre Formation formed in the final cycle of the seaway. At about 68 million years ago, the Front Range began to rise again due to the Laramide Orogeny in the western half of the state, draining from being at the bottom of a sea to land again, giving yield to another fossiliferous rock layer,

658-612: The Lykins Shale . This formation can be best attributed to its wavy layers of muddy limestone and signs of stromatolites that thrived in a tidal flat in present-day Colorado. 250 million years ago, the Ancestral Rockies were eroding away while the shoreline was present during the break-up of Pangaea. This formation began right after Earth's largest extinction 251 million years ago at the Permian – Triassic Boundary. Ninety percent of

705-610: The Quaternary age literally unburied the range by cutting through the weaker sediment and giving rise to the granitic peaks present today. This was the last step in forming the present-day geologic sequence and history of today's Front Range. The Front Range includes the highest peaks along the eastern edge of the Rockies. The highest mountain peak in the Front Range is Grays Peak . Other notable mountains include Torreys Peak , Mount Blue Sky , Longs Peak , Pikes Peak , and Mount Bierstadt . The main interstate highways that run through

752-512: The 38.2 MW Pole Hill Powerplant, where it drops 825 feet (251 m), and flows via the shorter Rattlesnake Tunnel to Pinewood Lake. The water then enters the Bald Mountain Tunnel, heading east to a final drop of 1,055 feet (322 m) at 94.5 MW Flatiron Powerplant. From the tailrace of the powerplant the water enters Flatiron Reservoir from which the water is distributed to the eastern slope, including returning native hydropower water to

799-563: The Arkansas. Colorado%E2%80%93Big Thompson Project The Colorado–Big Thompson Project (abbreviated C-BT ) is a federal water diversion project in Colorado designed to collect West Slope mountain water from the headwaters of the Colorado River and divert it to Colorado's Front Range and plains. In Colorado, approximately 80% of the state's precipitation falls on the West Slope, in

846-613: The C-BT is a source of "peaking power" and is marketed by the Department of Energy via its Western Area Power Administration . An extensive series of reservoirs, pumps and conduits on the west side of the Rockies serve to collect water from the headwaters of the Colorado River, as well as two tributaries, Cottonwood Creek and the Fraser River . Lake Granby , located in eastern Grand County ,

893-613: The Charles H. Boustead Tunnel. The Boustead conveys water underneath the Continental Divide 5.5 miles (8.9 km) before discharging it into Turquoise Lake just west of Leadville . Water then leaves Turquoise Lake reservoir via the Mt. Elbert Conduit, which runs nearly 11 miles (18 km) to the Mt. Elbert Forebay. Water is stored in the forebay to build up head (energy) before being dropped down over 0.5 miles (0.80 km) in elevation to

940-739: The Colorado area was in the line of the deepest channel of the seaway; but being on the Transcontinental Arch , the Front Range areas was relatively shallow and was near the last land to submerge as the seaway opened. Shale and chalk were deposited over the area as Greenhorn of the Benton Group and the Niobrara Formation . Within these beds are found abundant marine fossils ( ammonites and skeletons of fish and such marine reptiles as mosasaurs , plesiosaurs , and extinct species of sea turtles ) along with rare dinosaur and bird remains. Today,

987-538: The Continental Divide through the Adams Tunnel, which can carry up to 550 cubic feet per second (16 m /s) to the eastern slope. Once the water emerges from the Adams Tunnel just southwest of Estes Park, the system is almost entirely gravity powered, dropping some 2,800 feet (850 m) as it descends to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains west of Loveland . The tunnel outlet is located at East Portal Reservoir,

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1034-665: The Denver Formation. The Denver Formation contains fossils of dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops . While the forests of vegetation, dinosaurs, and other organisms thrived, their reign would come to an end at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary (which was formerly known as the K-T boundary). In an instant, millions of species were obliterated by a meteor impact in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula . While this extinction led to

1081-425: The Front Range are Interstate 70 , which crosses west of Denver, Colorado, and Interstate 80 , which crosses near Laramie, Wyoming. U.S. Route 34 travels through the mountains near Loveland, Colorado , although this route is typically closed from October to May. U.S. Route 24 travels through the southern Front Range west of Colorado Springs , eventually connecting with I-70 west of Vail, Colorado . Along with

1128-457: The Fryingpan River from Basalt, Colorado. Ruedi provides water to Colorado's West Slope, in part to compensate for what is diverted further upstream. Water is diverted from the West Slope's Fryingpan River basin. A series of interconnected tunnels carrying water from 16 small diversion dams, all at an elevation of above 10,000 feet (3,000 m), collect snowmelt and run it, via gravity, to

1175-552: The Great Plains. Longs Peak , Mount Blue Sky , and Pikes Peak are its most prominent peaks, visible from the Interstate 25 corridor. The area is a popular destination for mountain biking, hiking, climbing, and camping during the warmer months and for skiing and snowboarding during winter. Millions of years ago, the present-day Front Range was home to ancient mountain ranges, deserts, beaches, and even oceans. The name "Front Range"

1222-508: The Rocky Mountains, while around 80% of the state's growing population lives along the eastern slope , between the cities of Fort Collins and Pueblo . Eleven reservoirs, about 18 dams and dikes, the Alva B. Adams Tunnel under the Continental Divide, as well as six power plants, make up the project. The C-BT is owned and primarily managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation 's Eastern Colorado Area Office under its Great Plains Region. The project

1269-472: The demise of the dinosaurs and other organisms, some life did prevail to repopulate the earth as it recovered from this tremendous disaster. The uplifted mountains continued to constantly erode and, by 40 million years ago, the region was once again buried in material eroded from the central mountains. Suddenly, 37 million years ago, a great volcanic eruption took place in the Collegiate Range and covered

1316-607: The environment was filled with various types of vegetation such as ferns and Zamites . While this time period boasts many types of plants, grass had not yet evolved. The Dakota Sandstone , which was deposited around 100 million years ago at the opening of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway from the Arctic to the Tropics, shows evidence of ferns and dinosaur tracks. Sheets of ripple marks can be seen on some of

1363-538: The granite mountains and eventually led to their complete removal. The sediment from these mountains lies in the very red Fountain Formation today. Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside of Denver, Colorado, is set within the Fountain Formation. At 280 million years ago, sea levels were low and present-day Colorado was part of the super-continent Pangaea . Sand deserts covered most of the area, spreading as dunes seen in

1410-794: The hills west of Fort Collins and has a total capacity of 151,750 acre-feet (0.18718 km ). The northern end of the reservoir outlets into the Charles Hansen Supply Canal, which mainly supplies agriculture in the Cache la Poudre River valley. There is a smaller outlet at Soldier Canyon which provides water to the Fort Collins area. Water flowing into the southern branch must be pumped into Carter Lake Reservoir , located west of Berthoud . The reservoir can hold up to 112,230 acre-feet (0.13843 km ) of water. During times of peak power demand, water can be released back from Carter into Flatiron via

1457-507: The hydroelectric Mt. Elbert Powerplant . The power plant takes its name from Mount Elbert , Colorado's tallest peak, and sits at its base. The two-unit facility is the largest hydroelectric power plant in Colorado. It has a nameplate capacity of 200 megawatts and a maximum generating head of 477 feet (145 m). During night time hours, when power rates are less expensive, the reversible pump-back units return water from Twin Lakes—water that

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1504-427: The landscape in hot ash that instantly torched and consumed everything across the landscape. An entire lush environment was capped in a matter of minutes with 20 feet of extremely resistant rock, rhyolite . However, as seen before, life rebounds, and after a few million years mass floods cut through the rhyolite and eroded much of it as plants and animals began to recolonize the landscape. The mass flooding and erosion of

1551-456: The main water beneficiary, rather than irrigation. Today, the "C-BT" serves over 33 cities and towns in northeastern Colorado, including Fort Collins , Greeley , Loveland , Estes Park , Boulder , and Sterling , encompassed by 7 counties, providing a secondary source of water for around 1 million people and an irrigated area of 640,000 acres (2,500 km ). Although water rights allow for up to 310,000 acre-feet (380,000,000 m ) of water

1598-414: The northern part of Summit County in 1938. Construction on the project continued through most of the next 20 years. While the project was originally built for agricultural purposes, it serves multiple demands including municipal and industrial supply, hydro-power generation, recreation, and fish and wildlife. In recent years, however, water supply demands have shifted making municipal and industrial supply

1645-472: The planet's marine life became extinct and a great deal on land as well. After 100 million years of deposition, a new environment brought rise to a new formation, the sandstone Morrison Formation . The Morrison Formation contains some of the best fossils of the Late Jurassic . It is especially known for its sauropod tracks and sauropod bones, among other dinosaur fossils. As identified by the fossil record,

1692-509: The project's 50-year operating history. The following year, 2012, snowpack was scarce and drought returned to the state. As a result, the project was only able to import roughly 14,000 acre⋅ft (17,000,000 m) of water. Before the Fry-Ark Project could be built in its entirety, a compromise had to be struck between East and West Slope water politics. The result was the construction of Ruedi Reservoir , 15 miles (24 km) upstream on

1739-481: The reservoir continues down Lake Creek to the Arkansas River , which is the main delivery vehicle for the Fry-Ark project. Pueblo Reservoir, the center piece of Lake Pueblo State Park , is the last reservoir in the project and sits on the Arkansas just west of Pueblo. The majority of municipal and agricultural deliveries for the project are made out of Pueblo Reservoir before the water continues on east to Kansas via

1786-603: The river at the mouth of the Big Thompson Canyon. Once the water reaches Flatiron Reservoir, it splits into two branches which distribute water to about 50 miles (80 km) of the Front Range Corridor, from Fort Collins to near Denver . The northern branch consists of the Horsetooth Feeder Canal and tunnels which feeds water by gravity to Horsetooth Reservoir . The reservoir is formed by four dams in

1833-465: The roads that run through the Front Range, the Union Pacific Railroad operates two rail lines through the mountains. The first Overland Route , transiting southern Wyoming, runs parallel to I-80 for much of its way. The second is the former Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Moffat Route, which runs parallel to the Colorado River and through the 6.5-mile-long Moffat Tunnel . Originally

1880-607: The rock record, known today as the Lyons Sandstone . These dunes appear to be cross-bedded and show various fossil footprints and leaf imprints in many of the strata making up the section. Uplifted beds of Lyons Sandstone are found along the Front range and form the gateway to the Garden of the Gods . 30 million years later, the sediment deposition was still taking place with the introduction of

1927-550: The sinking basin. Sedimentation would continue to take place until about 300 million years ago. Around 300 million years ago, the sinking suddenly reversed, and the sediment-covered granite began to uplift , giving rise to the Ancestral Rocky Mountains . Over the next 150 million years, during the uplift the mountains continued to erode and cover their flanks in their own sediment. Wind, gravity, rainwater, snow, and ice-melt supplied rivers that ultimately carved through

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1974-551: The storage and distribution facilities of the Bureau of Reclamation's C-BT. From Lake Granby the water is lifted 125 feet (38 m) up to Shadow Mountain Lake , which is located on the Colorado River west of the natural Grand Lake . The two bodies of water are connected by a short channel which allows water to flow freely to the intake of the Alva B. Adams Tunnel on Grand Lake's eastern shore. The water then flows 13.2 miles (21.2 km) under

2021-510: The strata, confirming advancing and retreating near-shore environments. These Dakota Group sandstone beds are resistant to erosion and have uplifted to form the Dakota Hogback , a ridge between the mountains and the plains. Over the next 35 million years, the Cretaceous seaway repeatedly widened as far as Utah and Wisconsin and narrowed to near closure. With no mountains present at the time,

2068-472: The volcanic rock formed the Castle Rock Conglomerate that can be found in the Front Range. Eventually, at about 10 million years ago, the Front Range began to rise up again and the resistant granite in the heart of the mountains thrust upwards and stood tall, while the weaker sediments deposited above it eroded away. As the Front Range rose, streams and recent (16,000 years ago) glaciations during

2115-599: Was already used at least once by the units to generate electricity—back to the forebay so it can flow down again for more power generation. The Western Area Power Administration markets the power generated at the plant. Water exiting the Mt. Elbert Power Plant helps fill Twin Lakes Reservoir, a natural lake bed that was enlarged and impounded by the Twin Lakes Dam during 1978–1980. The reservoir sits on Lake Creek which runs down from Independence Pass . Water from

2162-618: Was built, is owned, and is primarily operated by the federal Bureau of Reclamation under the Department of the Interior . By the late 1890s, farmers in northeastern Colorado realized water rights in the area had become over-appropriated. In order to survive the agricultural season, additional water supplies would be needed. Prior to the Dust Bowl era, agriculture in this section of the state had relied upon sources such as Boulder Creek , St. Vrain Creek , Little Thompson River , Big Thompson River and

2209-544: Was extensive and the project could not have been constructed without compensation to the West Slope for the water sent east. As a result, the first feature built on the C-BT was Green Mountain Dam and Reservoir, a West Slope facility designed to provide for future water demands in the state's Upper Colorado River Basin. The project was authorized by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1937. Construction began on Green Mountain in

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