Twin Lakes Dam

Twin Lakes Dam
CountryUnited States
LocationLake County, Colorado
StatusOperational
Opening date1978
Built byUnited States Bureau of Reclamation
Designed byUnited States Bureau of Reclamation
Dam and spillways
Height53 ft (16 m)
Length3,150 ft (960 m)
Reservoir
Total capacity141,000 acre⋅ft (174,000,000 m3)
Surface area2,700 acres (1,100 ha)
Normal elevation2,803 m (9,196 ft) [1]

Twin Lakes Dam (National ID # CO02045) is a dam in Lake County, Colorado, about 13 miles (21 km) south of Leadville.

The earthen dam was constructed in 1978 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation with a height of 53 feet (16 m) and a length at its crest of 3,150 feet (960 m).[2] The dam is owned and operated by the Bureau as one element of its larger "transbasin" Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, which transfers available water from Colorado's West Slope across the Continental Divide to the more arid, and more populated, East Slope.

The reservoir it creates, Twin Lakes, is an enlargement of a natural glacial lake. It has a surface area of 2,700 acres (1,100 ha)[3] and a maximum capacity of 141,000 acre-feet (174,000,000 m3). [4] Recreation includes boating, fishing for trout, and camping at five Forest Service campgrounds in the area (Dexter, Lakeview, Parry Peak, Twin Peaks and White Star).[5]

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Twin Lakes Dam
  2. ^ "Dam details - Twin Lakes Dam - Bureau of Reclamation". Archived from the original on 2015-06-18. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
  3. ^ "Unknown" (PDF).[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ "Project details - Fryingpan-Arkansas Project - Bureau of Reclamation". Archived from the original on 2012-08-23. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
  5. ^ "RMSKC: Paddling Places: Twin Lakes and Turquoise Lake". Archived from the original on 2012-06-07. Retrieved 2012-08-13.

39°05′36″N 106°20′39″W / 39.09346°N 106.34420°W / 39.09346; -106.34420