Chatfield Reservoir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chatfield Reservoir |
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Chatfield Reservoir
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 Chatfield Reservoir
Location in Colorado
Chatfield Reservoir
Location in the United States
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| Location | Douglas and Jefferson counties, Colorado, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 39°32′50″N 105°03′54″W / 39.547206°N 105.065002°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | South Platte River |
| Primary outflows | South Platte River |
| Catchment area | 3,018 sq mi (7,820 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 1,500 acres (610 ha) (Normal pool) 4,822 acres (1,951 ha) (Max. Pool) |
| Max. depth | 47 m (154 ft) |
| Chatfield Dam | |
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Chatfield Dam
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| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1967 |
| Opening date | 1975 |
| Owner(s) |  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Rolled earth fill |
| Height | 147 ft (45 m) |
| Length | 13,136 ft (4,004 m) |
| Width (crest) | 30 ft (9 m) |
| Dam volume | 17,255,100 cu yd (13,192,471 m3) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 355,000 acre⋅ft (437,886,052 m3) |
| Inactive capacity | 27,076 acre⋅ft (33,397,754 m3) |
| Maximum length | 2 mi (3 km) |
| Normal elevation | 5,432 ft (1,656 m) - 5,500 ft (1,676 m) MSL |
The Chatfield Dam and Reservoir is a large dam and an artificial lake. You can find it on the South Platte River, just south of Littleton, Colorado. This important structure was built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. They created it to help prevent big floods, especially after a very damaging flood in 1965.
Besides stopping floods, Chatfield Reservoir also helps provide water for the city of Denver. Building the dam started in 1967 and it was finished in 1975. The whole project cost about $74 million.
The dam itself is very long, stretching about 13,136 feet (4,004 m) across. It stands tall at about 147 feet (45 m) above the riverbed. The lake, or reservoir, is usually about 47 feet (14 m) deep at its deepest point. This means the dam rises about 100 feet (30 m) above the normal surface of the water.
The lake collects water from a huge area, covering more than 3,000 square miles (8,000 km2). The lake itself is about 1,500 acres (6 km2) in size. It can hold a lot of water, especially during floods, with a special flood-control area that can store over 350,000 acre⋅ft (0.43 km3) of water.
Contents
Chatfield State Park: Fun and Nature
The area around Chatfield Reservoir is part of Chatfield State Park. This park is a popular spot for outdoor activities. You can go boating on the lake, ride horses on the trails, or even go camping. Two other creeks, Plum Creek and Deer Creek, also flow into the reservoir.
Birdwatching at Chatfield
Chatfield Reservoir is a fantastic place for birdwatching. Over 212 different kinds of birds are often seen here. Some birds live here all year, while others stop to rest during their long migrations. You might spot amazing birds like the bald eagle, the white pelican, or even a burrowing owl. There's a special list of birds seen at Chatfield that anyone can check out.
Chatfield Reservoir Reallocation Project: More Water Storage
A big project called the Chatfield Reservoir Reallocation Project began in the fall of 2017. The main goal of this project is to create space for an extra 20,600 acre-feet of water in the reservoir. This means the lake's water level will rise by about 12 feet.
Why Raise the Water Level?
Raising the water level allows the reservoir to store more water. This extra water can be used for different purposes, like providing drinking water for nearby communities. To make space for the higher water level, some parts of the surrounding Chatfield State Park, like certain facilities, had to be moved further away from the new shoreline.
