Archive of previous Today@Horsetooth updates

December 2003

Project is Complete!

After just less than four years, work on the four dams at Horsetooth Reservoir is complete. All roads and climbing areas, including Duncan’s Ridge, are open, but post-Sept. 11 security measures remain in place.

Water has begun to fill behind the dams. Currently, the Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the facility, is storing almost a foot a day in the reservoir. Reclamation anticipates reaching a full reservoir, at 5,430 feet in elevation, by the end of April 2004.

To adequately test all the new construction, Reclamation must completely fill the reservoir behind the dams. To date, the reservoir has never been full. The closest it got was within a foot, 5,429, in the mid '90s.

Some clean-up work remains. A few members of the construction crew stayed on to monitor the reservoir filling and to help with landscaping, seeding, and reshaping the quarry areas that are visible from town. The quarry areas are from original construction and were reused during the modifications. They are mainly along the north sides of Spring and Dixon Canyon dams.

Reshaping will also make it easier for the City of Ft. Collins to reroute the Foothills Trail around the base of Soldier Canyon Dam. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the public is no longer allowed on dams’ faces; so, the Foothills Trail must be rerouted. It will be moved slightly to the south of Soldier and climb back up the hillside instead of cutting across the bottom southeast corner of the dam.

Like Soldier Canyon Dam, all dams will remain closed to access for security reasons. People may drive, bike, walk, run, etc. across the dams on the road, but any stopping or loitering on -- or fishing from -- the dams is prohibited. The 100-foot security buffer around the dams on land also remains in place.

Another security note: The boat ramp on the north end at Satanka Dike will remain closed until further notice.

Reclamation and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District would like to thank all of you for your patience during this project and for your correspondence. We hope over the last four years we have been able to adequately address concerns and questions you had through this Website and other means.