Fisherman with dam at John Martin Resevoir in distance
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Dams
Colorado Parks and Wildlife owns and operates the largest inventory of dams in the state of Colorado. The water impounded is used for purposes such as downstream irrigation, fisheries management and aquatic operations, and a multitude of recreational activities including fishing, boating and swimming.
over 120
dams
$120.7
million estimated total maintenance and repair for all CPW dams
over $103.9
million allocated for dam safety related work
Our Work
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has three full-time Dam Safety Engineers who, with the help of other dedicated staff located around the state, manage all the work and monitoring on CPW’s dams. They perform regular dam safety inspections on all CPW-owned dams and maintain current Emergency Action Plans for First Responders.
Dam Repairs and Maintenance
Public Safety is Our First Priority
Public infrastructure and population centers are often located downstream, which increases the likelihood of devastating consequences in the event of a dam failure. Maintenance and rehabilitation of CPW’s dams is of paramount importance to CPW.
In 2014, CPW undertook a Screening Level Risk Analysis (SLRA) to provide an overview of the condition of CPW dams and develop a repair and rehabilitation priority list. Since that time, CPW has made extensive progress on achieving those necessary improvements. CPW is currently working through an update to the conditional assessment and prioritization list, to update and enhance the SLRA (started in 2023 and planned to be complete in early 2025).
Repair and rehabilitation construction was completed on several dams in 2023:
- Rito Hondo Dam Comprehensive Rehabilitation - Construction Manager General Contractor (CMGC) project delivery
- Alberta Park Dam Comprehensive Rehabilitation - CMGC project delivery
- Deer Lakes Dams Spillway and Embankment Rehabilitations (in partnership with United States Fish and Wildlife Service)
- Rio Blanco Dam Outlet Works and Embankment Rehabilitation
- Beaver Park Dam Outlet Valve Repairs
- Subsurface investigation at Meadow Creek Dam, Garfield County
Completed engineering studies and designs in 2023 include:
- Tarryall Dam Final Design and CMGC Pre-Construction
- Meadow Creek Dam Alternatives Analysis and Preliminary Design
- Garnet Mesa Dam (Sweitzer Lake) Spillway Alternatives Analysis and Preliminary Design
- Big Beaver Dam (Lake Avery) Outlet Rehabilitation Preliminary Design
- Risk-Informed Prioritization of CPW's Inventory of High and Significant Hazard Dams (ongoing)
- Statewide Hydrology Studies (ongoing)
- Tarryall Dam Construction
- Garnet Mesa Dam (Sweitzer Lake) Spillway Replacement Final Design
- Meadow Creek Dam Rehabilitation Final Design and Construction Manager General Contractor Pre-Construction
- Upper Highline Dam (Highline Lake) Spillway Rehabilitation Preliminary Design
- Big Beaver Dam (Lake Avery) Outlet Rehabilitation Final Design
- Lake Christine Dam Slope Stabilization and Spillway Rehabilitation Design
Ongoing work continues for smaller-scale projects involving dam maintenance, improvements, and engineering studies.
Annual Release of Upcoming Projects Anticipated over the next 2 Years
When a project is ready, the solicitation will be posted on the Colorado Vendor Self Service website. Those who are interested in viewing active solicitations or registering for automatic alerts can do so at https://vss.state.co.us.
Quarter 1 of 2024
No new projects planned.
Quarter 2 of 2024
- Big Beaver Dam (Lake Avery) Outlet Rehabilitation CM/GC Preconstruction
- Big Meadows, Miramonte, and/or Echo Canyon Dams Piezometer Installation
Quarter 3 of 2024
- Outlet Rehabilitation Designs, Multiple Dams
- Flagler Dam Decommissioning, Removal, and Habitat Restoration Design
- Staunton State Park - Elk Falls Ranch Dam Rehabilitation CM/GC Preconstruction
- Garnet Mesa Dam Spillway Rehabilitation Construction
- Mueller State Park: Dragonfly Pond Rehabilitation
Quarter 4 of 2024
- Trujillo Meadows Dam Seepage Evaluation and Monitoring System Design and
Installation - Beaver Park Seepage Mitigation Feasibility Study
Quarter 1 of 2025
- Lake John Dam Slope Stabilization and Spillway Repairs Design
- La Jara Dam Seepage Evaluation and Monitoring System Design and Installation
Quarter 2 of 2025
No new projects planned.
Quarter 3 of 2025
- Lake Christine Dam Slope Stabilization Construction
Quarter 4 of 2025
- Home Lake Crest Raise and Rehabilitation