Carter Lake Dam

For the dam in the U.S. state of Georgia, see Carters Dam.

Carter Lake Dam (National ID # CO01650) is a dam in Larimer County, Colorado.

Carter Lake

Carter Lake Dam
Carter Lake
Location of Carter Lake Dam in Colorado Show map of Colorado Carter Lake Dam (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Larimer County, Colorado, U.S.
Coordinates	40°19′32″N 105°12′44″W
Purpose	flood control, irrigation
Status	Operational
Opening date	1950 (75 years ago) (1950)
Owner(s)	U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Operator(s)	Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Earthen
Height	214 ft (65 m)
Length	1,235 ft (376 m)
Reservoir
Creates	Carter Lake
Total capacity	112,230 acre⋅ft (0.13843 km3)
Surface area	900 acres (3.6 km2)
Normal elevation	1,756 m (5,761 ft)

The earthen dam was completed in 1950 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, with a height of 214 feet (65 m), and a length of 1,235 feet (376 m) at its crest.^[1] It contains offstream storage as part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Colorado-Big Thompson Project for flood control and irrigation. The dam is owned by the Bureau of Reclamation and operated by the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District.

The reservoir it creates, Carter Lake Reservoir, has a water surface of 1,100 acres (450 ha), about eight miles of shoreline, more than 900 acres (360 ha) of surrounding public land, and a capacity of 112,230 acre-feet (138,430,000 m³).^[2][3] Recreation includes fishing (for rainbow trout, kokanee, brown trout, splake, walleye, yellow perch, bluegill, salmon, largemouth bass, etc.), hunting, boating, camping and hiking.^[4]

See also

• List of dams and reservoirs in Colorado
• List of largest reservoirs of Colorado