Here's when Larimer County reservoirs are expected to be filled for 2024 boating season

Miles Blumhardt, Fort Collins Coloradoan
Updated ·2 min read
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There's good news for boaters who enjoy being on the water at Horsetooth Reservoir, Carter Lake and Boyd Lake.

The three popular Larimer County bodies of water are being filled with the expectation that Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake will be full by the end of June, according to Anna Perea, spokesperson for the Bureau of Reclamation in Loveland.

When full, Horsetooth Reservoir holds 156,735 acre feet of water storage and Carter Lake 112,230 acre feet for drinking water and agricultural irrigation.

Boyd Lake is currently receiving water and is expected to be full in April, according to the Greeley and Loveland Irrigation Company, which owns the water. It holds 48,525 acre feet of water when full.

"Colorado has received slightly above average precipitation and so as we move into the summer months, we don't see any water concerns for the Colorado-Big Thompson area," Perea said.

A blue supermoon sets on the western horizon as a boat navigates Horsetooth Reservoir at sunrise on Aug. 31, 2023, near Fort Collins.
A blue supermoon sets on the western horizon as a boat navigates Horsetooth Reservoir at sunrise on Aug. 31, 2023, near Fort Collins.

Filling Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake this spring was a bit delayed due to work at the Pole Hill Power Plant near Pinewood Reservoir west of Loveland.

On March 5, water began slowly being released from the Olympus Dam in Estes Park to fill Horsetooth Reservoir. Flows to Carter Lake started this week. Flows in the Big Thompson Canyon began at 40 cubic feet per second, increased to 440 cfs last week and have returned to seasonal flow averages.

Perea said the release has resulted in the water level at Horsetooth Reservoir to rise 7 feet in March. She said as of March 26, Horsetooth Reservoir was at 76% of capacity and Carter Lake was at 67%.

Colorado-Big Thompson's largest reservoir, Lake Granby, is 88% full before runoff, a harbinger of a good water year, she said.

That's especially good news for boaters this year as Larimer County has started a boat slip rental lottery for Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake.

The making of a reservoir: A look at Chimney Hollow, Larimer County's newest water storage

Colorado water year looking good as peak snowpack nears

Colorado's peak snowpack generally occurs the first week of April.

As of March 26, Colorado statewide snowpack was at 108% of the 30-year median with all eight basins reporting more than 100% of average. That's largely because of recent big snowstorms that have dumped feet of snow in the mountains.

Here is a look at snowpack by basin, according to Natural Resources Conservation Service:

  • South Platte (Fort Collins and Denver): 110%

  • Laramie/North Platte: 103%

  • Yampa/White: 109%

  • Colorado headwaters: 105%

  • Gunnison: 104%

  • Arkansas: 117%

  • Upper Rio Grande: 110%

  • San Miguel/Delores/Animas San Juan: 106%

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Horsetooth Reservoir, Carter Lake, Boyd Lake to be filled for 2024