Carter Lake Dam

Carter Lake
Carter Lake Dam
Carter Lake
Carter Lake
Carter Lake
Location of Carter Lake Dam in Colorado
Carter Lake
Carter Lake
Carter Lake Dam (the United States)
LocationLarimer County, Colorado, U.S.
Coordinates40°19′32″N 105°12′44″W / 40.32553°N 105.21218°W / 40.32553; -105.21218
Purposeflood control, irrigation
StatusOperational
Opening date1950
(74 years ago)
 (1950)
Owner(s)U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Operator(s)Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District
Dam and spillways
Type of damEarthen
Height214 ft (65 m)
Length1,235 ft (376 m)
Reservoir
CreatesCarter Lake
Total capacity112,230 acre⋅ft (0.13843 km3)
Surface area900 acres (3.6 km2)
Normal elevation1,756 m (5,761 ft)

Carter Lake Dam (National ID # CO01650) is a dam in Larimer County, Colorado.

The earthen dam was completed in 1950 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, with a height of 214 feet (65 m), and a length of 1,235 feet (376 m) at its crest.[1] It contains offstream storage as part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Colorado-Big Thompson Project for flood control and irrigation. The dam is owned by the Bureau of Reclamation and operated by the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District.

The reservoir it creates, Carter Lake Reservoir, has a water surface of 1,100 acres (450 ha), about eight miles of shoreline, more than 900 acres (360 ha) of surrounding public land, and a capacity of 112,230 acre-feet (138,430,000 m3).[2][3] Recreation includes fishing (for rainbow trout, kokanee, brown trout, splake, walleye, yellow perch, bluegill, salmon, largemouth bass, etc.), hunting, boating, camping and hiking.[4]

  1. ^ "Dam details - Carter Lake Dam - Bureau of Reclamation". Archived from the original on 2012-09-27. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  2. ^ "Project details - Colorado-Big Thompson Project - Bureau of Reclamation". Archived from the original on 2011-11-12. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
  3. ^ "Parks and Open Lands - Carter Lake". Archived from the original on 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  4. ^ "Carter Reservoir (Carter Lake), Colorado".