Antero Reservoir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Antero Reservoir |
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The reservoir from Highway 285.
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 Antero Reservoir
Location in Colorado
Antero Reservoir
Location in the United States
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| Location | Park County, Colorado |
| Coordinates | 38°59′18″N 105°53′44″W / 38.98833°N 105.89556°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) |
| Water volume | 20,000 acre⋅ft (25,000,000 m3) |
| Surface elevation | 8,942 ft (2,726 m) |
Antero Reservoir is a large lake in Colorado, USA. It's not a natural lake, but a reservoir. This means it was made by building a dam. The dam was the very first one built on the South Platte River in central Colorado. Antero Reservoir is owned by Denver Water. This company provides drinking water to many people in the Denver area. The water travels almost 140 miles (230 km) from the reservoir to homes!
Contents
History of Antero Reservoir
Building the Dam
The dam that created Antero Reservoir was built in 1909. It's an earthen dam, which means it's made mostly of packed dirt and rocks. Scientists believe the spot where the dam was built used to be a dry lake bed. This old lake, called Green Lake, is now underwater in Antero Reservoir.
Denver Water Takes Over
Denver Water bought the reservoir in 1924. They also bought the High Line Canal at the same time. Since then, Antero Reservoir has been an important part of Denver Water's system. It helps supply clean drinking water to homes and businesses.
Drought and Recovery
In 2002, the reservoir had to close for five years. This was because of a very bad drought. A drought is a long period with very little rain. The lake actually dried up completely!
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife group worked with Denver Water to bring the lake back. In 2007, they refilled it. They also added many fish back into the lake. These fish included:
- rainbow trout
- brook trout
- cutbow
- cutthroat trout
- brown trout
- splake
Dam Repairs and Upgrades
Engineers noticed that the dam had been leaking since it was first built. Because of this, the state of Colorado had rules about how much water the reservoir could hold. In 2011, they started lowering the water level a little. This was to help with the leaks.
There were plans to drain the reservoir again in 2013 because of drought. But a lot of snow fell in April 2013, so they didn't have to. In 2013, a big project started to fix the dam. This project cost about $17 million. The reservoir was then emptied in June 2015 for these important repairs. It was refilled in 2016.
Fishing at Antero Reservoir
Antero Reservoir is a great place for fishing! It's not very deep, so the water gets warmer than other lakes at this high altitude. This warm water helps the fish grow very big and fast.
The reservoir is managed by Denver Water and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. You don't need to pay an entry fee because it's not a state park. You can fish all year round, even in winter when the lake freezes over for ice fishing. Just remember, you always need a valid fishing license!
Quick Facts
Here are some quick facts about Antero Reservoir:
- Elevation: 8,942 feet (2,726 m) above sea level
- Capacity: It can hold about 20,000 acre⋅ft (25,000,000 m3) of water.
- Surface Area: The top of the lake covers about 2,500 acres (1,000 ha).
