Construction of Chatfield Reservoir was completed in 1975 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) at the confluence of the South Platte River and Plum Creek to control flooding. The reservoir currently has the ability to store more than 350,000 acre-feet (AF) of water.
Chatfield Reservoir is one of three reservoirs built by the Corps as part of the Tri-Lakes Project, primarily for flood control purposes. Cherry Creek Reservoir, completed in 1950, and Bear Creek Reservoir, completed in 1982, constitute the other two facilities.
Chatfield Reservoir also provides storage space for conservation (or multipurpose) water, which is used for municipal, industrial, agricultural and/or recreational uses, as well as maintaining fisheries and wildlife habitat.
Regional Water Demand
Colorado’s population is expected to nearly double by the year 2050 to approximately 11 million people. Colorado’s Water Plan, supported by the Statewide Water Supply Initiative, has projected a gap between water demand and water supply that could leave a shortfall of more than 500,000 acre feet across the state. The Chatfield Storage Reallocation Project is just one of many solutions that water providers are implementing to reduce the gap and to ensure sustainable supplies for present and future generations.
For updates on Colorado’s Water Plan, please visit:
https://cwcb.colorado.gov/colorado-water-plan.
Chatfield Storage Reallocation Project
In response to the growing demand for water, the Corps determined Chatfield Reservoir can accommodate an additional 20,600 acre-feet of water storage for water supply without compromising its flood control function. This additional storage space will be used by municipal water providers, agricultural organizations, and State agencies to help meet the diverse needs of the state.
On May 29, 2014, the Corps approved the final Feasibility Report/Environmental Impact Statement (FR/EIS) for the project and the Record of Decision was signed, allowing for the Chatfield Storage Reallocation Project (CSRP) to move forward.
Storing more water in Chatfield will raise water levels above their historic operational high level at 5,432 feet to a new highest level of 5,444 feet, an increase of 12 feet. This rise will impact recreational and environmental features at the water’s edge and the EIS includes numerous mitigation measures to lessen and compensate for these impacts.
Design work began in late 2015, with construction commencing in late 2017. Construction on the recreational modifications and environmental mitigation projects were completed in April 2020.
On May 12, 2020, the Corps announced that the CSRP had met all of the recreational modification and environmental mitigation requirements, allowing the project participants the right to store available water in the new reallocation pool.
The CSRP water participants have been working for more than 20 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Water Conservation Board, environmental groups and interested citizens to prepare for this project.