Standley Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Standley Lake |
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The lake in 2014.
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 Standley Lake
Location in Colorado
Standley Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | Westminster, Colorado, Jefferson County, Colorado |
| Coordinates | 39°51′49″N 105°07′23″W / 39.8637°N 105.1230°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Woman Creek, Croke Canal, Farmers Highline Canal |
| Primary outflows | Big Dry Creek (Westminster, Colorado) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 1,200 acres (490 ha) |
| Water volume | 42,000 acre-feet (52,000,000 m3) |
| Surface elevation | 5,506 feet (1,678 m) |
Standley Lake is a large reservoir located in Westminster, Colorado. It covers about 1,200-acre (4.9 km2) of land. This lake was first built to help farmers water their crops. Today, it mostly provides drinking water for the cities of Westminster, Northglenn, and Thornton.
Standley Lake is also a popular spot for fun outdoor activities. It is the main feature of the 3,000-acre (12 km2) Standley Lake Regional Park. The lake can hold about 42,000 acre-feet (52,000,000 m3) of water and is up to 96 feet deep. Most of its water travels over 16 miles from Clear Creek. This water comes through canals like the Church Ditch, Farmer's Highline Canal, and Croke Canal. The lake also gets water from Coal Creek and Woman Creek.
The Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company (FRICO) owns Standley Lake. However, the City of Westminster manages the park around the lake. They also oversee all the fun activities people do there.
Contents
Building Standley Lake: A Look Back
The story of Standley Lake began around 1870. A man named John S. Kinnear claimed some land where the lake is now. He built a ditch called Kinnear Ditch to bring water from Coal Creek to fill a small reservoir.
By the 1890s, Thomas P. Croke owned Kinnear Reservoir. In 1902, Croke teamed up with Joseph A. Standley and Milton Smith. They started a company called the Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company (FRICO). Their goal was to build a system of canals and reservoirs. This system would help water farms north of Denver. Joseph A. Standley is the person the lake is named after.
Early Plans and Construction
At first, they planned to build a huge lake that could hold 100,000 acre-feet (120,000,000 m3) of water. They also wanted to build a 140-foot-high dam. This would have been the biggest earth-filled dam in the world at that time!
However, they changed their plans during construction. They decided to build a smaller dam first, with the idea of making it bigger later. Building the lake started in 1907 and finished in May 1912.
Challenges and Repairs
Soon after it was built, the dam had problems. In 1913, cracks appeared. In 1914, a big part of the dam's outer slope slid down. Workers fixed this right away. Then, in 1916, another large slide happened, this time on the inner slope of the dam. This repair took longer and was not finished until 1922.
In 1963, the City of Westminster made an agreement with FRICO. Westminster gained the right to store 12,000 acre-feet (15,000,000 m3) of water in Standley Lake. To do this, the city made the dam larger. This expanded the lake to its current size, holding about 42,000 acre-feet (52,000,000 m3) of water.
Standley Lake Regional Park
In 1988, the Standley Lake Task Force was created by the City of Westminster and Jefferson County. This group worked to improve the area around the lake.
In 1998, Jefferson County Open Space (JCOS) and FRICO reached an important agreement. JCOS bought the land and rights for recreation around Standley Lake. JCOS then gave all this property to the City of Westminster. The goal was to make Standley Lake a better regional park.
JCOS also gave $2.4 million for improvements. These included:
- A boat ramp for launching boats
- A campground for overnight stays
- Restroom facilities
- A station for cleaning fish
- A ranger station and visitor center
- Better access roads
- A new trail system for walking and biking
The area officially became a Regional Park in 1998.
Boating Rules Change
In December 2019, Westminster made a big change for boaters. They banned trailered boats (boats that are pulled on a trailer) from Standley Lake. This decision was made to help stop the spread of invasive mussels. These mussels can harm the lake's environment. The ban came after a temporary ban earlier that year and a lot of discussion.
