Sugar Loaf Dam facts for kids
.JPG)
The Sugar Loaf Dam is a large dam located in Lake County, in the middle of Colorado. It's about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the town of Leadville. This dam helps manage water for many people and farms in Colorado.
The dam is quite big! It stands about 135 feet (41 m) tall and stretches over 2,000 feet (610 m) across. It's an earthen dam, which means it's made mostly of earth, rock, and clay. The Sugar Loaf Dam holds back the Lake Fork of the Arkansas River, which is a major river in Colorado.
Contents
What is the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project?
The Sugar Loaf Dam is an important part of a much larger plan called the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. This big project was started by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, which is a government agency that builds water projects. The Fryingpan-Arkansas Project was approved by President Kennedy in 1962 and finished in 1981. The Sugar Loaf Dam was one of five dams built between 1965 and 1968 as part of this project.
How Does the Project Move Water?
The Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, often called "Fry-Ark," moves water from one side of the Continental Divide to the other. The Continental Divide is like a giant mountain ridge that separates rivers flowing to the Pacific Ocean from those flowing to the Atlantic Ocean.
Water is taken from the Fryingpan River basin, which is on the "West Slope" of the Rocky Mountains. This water travels through a series of tunnels and small dams. One important tunnel is the Charles H. Boustead Tunnel, which carries water for about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) right under the Continental Divide!
After passing through the tunnel, the water flows into Turquoise Lake. From Turquoise Lake, it travels almost 11 miles (18 km) through the Mt. Elbert Conduit to the Mt. Elbert Forebay. Then, the water drops over 0.5 miles (0.8 km) in elevation to power the Mt. Elbert Power Plant, which creates electricity!
Why is Water Moved Across the Mountains?
The main reason water is moved across the mountains is to help the drier plains east of the Rocky Mountains. Most of this water is used for farming, helping crops grow in areas that don't get much rain. Some of the water also goes to cities like Colorado Springs, Pueblo, La Junta, and Lamar, providing drinking water for people.
Turquoise Lake: A Place for Fun
Turquoise Lake is the large body of water created by the Sugar Loaf Dam. It covers about 1,780 acres (720 ha) and can hold a huge amount of water, about 129,440 acre-feet (159,660,000 m³) of water.
The lake and the land around it are popular spots for many outdoor activities. People visit in both summer and winter to enjoy the beautiful scenery and have fun.
