Reclamation Begins Releasing Water to Lake Fork Creek

The Bureau of Reclamation will release water from Turquoise Lake near Leadville, Colorado, directly to Lake Fork Creek through June 2024. With releases to Lake Fork Creek running at approximately 350 cubic feet per second, County Road 5a is closed near the Lake Fork crossing. Reclamation does not expect to exceed 400 cfs on Lake Fork Creek under current conditions.

On Friday, April 26, Reclamation engineers became aware of a mechanical issue in one of Mt. Elbert's generators. A second generator is currently undergoing planned maintenance. In order to move water out of Turquoise Lake ahead of spring runoff, hydrologists began sending outflows through Lake Fork Creek. Engineers expect that one generator will be back online by July. At that time water movement through the Mt. Elbert Conduit can resume. These changes are not expected to affect water supply.

The Fryingpan-Arkansas Project provides water for beneficial use to Colorado water users across the state. On Colorado's West Slope, Ruedi Reservoir stores water for irrigation, domestic and municipal water supply, industrial, and environmental purposes such as fish and wildlife enhancement. On Colorado's East Slope, diversions from the Fryingpan River and its tributaries provide supplemental irrigation water for 217,000 irrigated acres and over 900,000 residents in Southeastern Colorado. Mt. Elbert Powerplant began operating in 1982. On average, the plant generates enough electricity each year to power 20,000 households.