Chatfield Reservoir
Chatfield Reservoir
Chatfield Reservoir Show map of Colorado Chatfield Reservoir Show map of the United States
Location	Douglas and Jefferson counties, Colorado, U.S.
Coordinates	39°32′50″N 105°03′54″W / 39.547206°N 105.065002°W / 39.547206; -105.065002
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
Chatfield Dam
Location of Chatfield Dam and Reservoir in Colorado
Status	Operational
Construction began	1967; 57 years ago (1967)
Opening date	1975; 49 years ago (1975)
Owner(s)	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District[1]
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

Chatfield Dam and Reservoir is a dam and artificial lake located on the South Platte River, south of Littleton, Colorado. The dam and reservoir were built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers as a response to the disastrous flood of 1965. In addition to its primary purpose of flood control, it serves as one of many water supply reservoirs for the city of Denver, Colorado.

Construction

In 1966, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission projected a total federal cost of $74 million.^[2] Construction of the project was begun in 1967 and the dam was completed in 1975.

The massive breastworks of the dam measure approximately 13,136 feet (4,004 m) in length with a maximum height of the dam of 135 feet (41 m) above the streambed. The normal depth of the lake is 59 feet (18 m) at its deepest point. This means the dam towers 88 feet (27 m) above the mean surface of the reservoir.

The lake drains an area of more than 3,000 square miles (8,000 km²). The 1,500 acre (6 km²) lake has a conservation storage capacity of 27,000 acre⋅ft (0.033 km³) with a flood-control pool of over 350,000 acre⋅ft (0.43 km³).

The reservoir inundated the abandoned roadbed of the Colorado and Southern Railway, a historic narrow gauge line active between 1874 and 1942. Until 1899, it was part of the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad. The roadbed is still visible extending from the southern shore into the water just west of the inlet.

Chatfield Reservoir Reallocation Project

The Chatfield Reservoir Reallocation Project, a US$171 million construction project that took place between 2017 and 2020, created an additional 20,600 acre-feet (25,400,000 cubic meters) of water storage in the reservoir, raising its level by about 12 feet (3.7 meters). The project involved moving some of the surrounding park's facilities back from the new, higher lake levels.^[3][4][5]

Chatfield State Park

The reservoir is surrounded by Chatfield State Park, a recreation area with boating, horseback riding and camping. A secondary inflow from the south is Plum Creek. A tertiary inflow from the west is Deer Creek.

There are 212 bird species that are frequently found at Chatfield Reservoir. These birds either permanently live there or just go there to rest after long migrations. There is a Chatfield bird watch list that anyone can access. The bald eagle, white pelican and burrowing owl have been seen.^[6]