Dams Along The South Platte
In an arid region of the United States, the South Platte is marked with several dams. The first notable water impoundment on the South Platte is Antero Reservoir. "Antero" is derived from the Spanish word "first," as it was the first dam on the South Platte River near the river's origin.
The next dam is Spinney Mountain Reservoir. At capacity Spinney Mountain covers 2,500 acres (10 km2). A bottom release dam, Spinney releases to the east of the inlet.
Two miles below Spinney Mountain Reservoir, the river enters Eleven Mile Reservoir, with a capacity of 97,000 acre feet (120,000,000 m3). The Eleven Mile Reservoir Dam drains into Eleven Mile Canyon, which runs through Forest Service land.
From Eleven Mile Canyon, the South Platte runs northeast to Cheesman Reservoir, named for Denver water pioneer Walter S. Cheesman. At its completion in 1905, the dam was the world’s tallest, at 221 feet (67 m) above the streambed. The reservoir and related facilities were purchased in November 1918 by the Denver Water Board. Cheesman was the first reservoir of Denver's mountain storage facilities and has been designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Cheesman Reservoir feeds Cheesman Canyon. Six miles below Cheesman Reservoir is the town of Deckers; there, the river bends north for approximately 17 miles (27 km) to the confluence with the North Fork of the South Platte.
In the late 1980s, a proposal was put forth for the Two Forks Dam, which would have created a reservoir flooding the entire section from the North Fork confluence to the town of Deckers. In 1990 the Environmental Protection Agency vetoed the permit, calling the project an "environmental catastrophe."
From the confluence, the river flows towards Denver and enters Strontia Springs Reservoir.
Below Strontia Springs the South Platte runs through Waterton Canyon before entering Chatfield Reservoir. Chatfield marks the seventh and final dam on the South Platte until it merges with the North Platte.
Read more about this topic: South Platte River
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