Water releases will raise Big Thompson
Staff from the Bureau of Reclamation expects to begin releasing Colorado-big Thompson Project water to the Big Thompson River on Tuesday, due to ongoing work at Pole Hill Powerplant.
The water releases from Olympus Dam in Estes Park will begin slowly, at a rate of about 40 cubic feet per second and potentially increase to as high as 440 cubic feet per second by midmarch, according to a news release.
The release said water will be diverted north to Horsetooth Reservoir at Dille Diversion Dam, roughly one mile upstream from the mouth of the Big Thompson Canyon.
The initial lower volume releases coupled with increased daylight and increasing seasonal temperatures will help to slowly melt ice in the river, the release stated.
Small, temporary ice jams occur normally in the winter, but larger jams that present a hazard to bridges, culverts or other infrastructure should be reported to Jim Struble at 970-593-2074 or Bernie Lodge at 970-347-7265, the Bureau requested.
With the anticipated releases, flows in the Big Thompson Canyon will be above average for this time of year. Anglers and people with homes and businesses near the stream banks are asked to maintain awareness of river conditions.
The Colorado-big Thompson Project stores, regulates and diverts water from the Colorado River west of the Continental Divide to provide supplemental irrigation water for 615,000 acres east of the Rocky Mountains, provides a supplemental municipal and industrial water supply for more than 1 million residents in northeastern Colorado, provides recreation in the area and produces enough electricity to power nearly 68,000 households, the release said.