CO01659 - Horsetooth Dam


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Horsetooth Dam


	Statistics

General

Region (Map) : ............ Great Plains

State (Map) ................. Colorado

County .......................... Larimer

Project: .......................... Colorado Big Thompson

Dam type: ..................... Earthfill

Location: ...................... 4 mi NW of Fort Collins

Watercourse: .............. Offstream storage

Reservoir: .................... Horsetooth

Construction Date: .....1946-1949

National ID Number ... CO01659

Hydrologic Unit Code ...

Dimensions

Crest Elevation of Dam: ..................... 5443.0 ft¹

Structural Height of Dam: .................. 155.0 ft

Crest Length: ....................................... 1840.0 ft

Top of Joint Use: .................................. NA

Top of Active Conservation: ............ 5430.0 ft

Top of Inactive Conservation: ...........5325.0 ft

Spillway Crest: ...................................... NA

Top of Dead Storage: ..........................5270.0 ft

Streambed at Dam Axis : ...................... NA

¹ 1988 modification raised the dam crest to elev. 5443.0 feet

Hydraulics

Normal Water Surface Elev: ...............5430.0 ft

Hydraulic Height: ................................ NA

Service Spillway Type:

Uncontrolled Crest ................................No

Morning-Glory .......................................... No

Crest Length .......................................... NA

Gated ..................................................... No

Capacity at Elev: 0 ft, 0 cfs

Auxiliary Spillway ........................................ No

Capacity at Elev. ................................. 0 cfs

Outlet Works Capacity at

Elevation 5430.0 ft., ..................... 2,500 cfs

Hydrology

Drainage Area: ............................... 17.0 sq mi

Hydrometeorological Report HMR 55

Flood Type: ............................Winter General

Storm Duration: ..................................... 72 hrs

Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) Report:

Peak Inflow: .................................. 96,800 cfs

Inflow Volume: ...................... 21,520 acre-ft

Flow Duration: .................................... 14 hrs

PMF Routing MWS Elev.: ..................... NA

Initial Routing Elev: ........................ 5430.0 ft

Study Date: .......................... December 1982

Power Generation

Power Generation at Dam Site - None

Bureau of Reclamation Power Program

Narration

Geology

Rocks underlying the site consist of various sedimentary types that range in age from Pennsylvanian to Recent. These units contain formations such as; the Lower Morrison, Sundance, Lykins, Dakota and Upper Lyons. Individual beds in these formations at the site strike 15-20 degrees northwest and dip 27 to 38 degrees northeast. On the greater part of the dam site overburden is thin and ranges from zero to five feet. In a zone about 400 feet wide near the center of the site and at right angles to the axis, the overburden varies from 15 to 32 feet in thickness. This material is reddish silty sandy clay having the appearance of windblown material. It stands up well in test pits, some of which were dug to 20 feet or more without cribbing. It contains practically no boulders.

Other Dams or Dikes which enclose Horsetooth Reservoir

1) Soldier Canyon Dam
2) Dixon Dam
3) Spring Canyon Dam
4) Satanka Dike

Links

| Recreation |

| For more information about Horsetooth Reservoir and planned dam modifications, visit the www.abouthorsetooth.com website.|

| Dams Located by State | USBR Colorado Dams | South Great Plains Region Dams |

| Owner: Bureau of Reclamation, Eastern Colorado Area Office,
11056 West County Road 18E, Loveland, CO 80537-9711, (970) 667-4410

| Operator: Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District,
PO Box 679, Loveland, CO 80539, (970) 667-2437