Kenney Reservoir

Kenney Reservoir is located in Rio Blanco County, Colorado^[1] five mlies east of the town of Rangely along Colorado State Highway 64.^[3] The reservoir is owned and managed by the Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District.^[4]

Kenney Reservoir
Taylor Draw Reservoir
Looking across the reservoir towards the dam
Kenney Reservoir Location in Colorado
Location	Rio Blanco County, Colorado
Coordinates	40°07′01″N 108°42′29″W[1]
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	White River
Primary outflows	White River
Managing agency	Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District
Built	1984 (1984)[2]
Surface area	650 acres (260 ha)
Water volume	22,200 acre-feet (27,400,000 cubic meters)[2]
Surface elevation	5,266 feet (1,605 meters)[1]

Dam

The dam, called Taylor Draw Dam,^[5] (National ID # CO02572) is an earthen dam, with a large center spillway, built in 1984. The dam was constructed to prevent flooding caused by ice dams on the White River, dams that would cause flooding along Main Street in Rangely.^[4]

The dam's height was increased in 1991 to allow for the addition of a hydroelectric power plant. The 2-megawatt plant began operation in 1993 and supplies electricity to the nearby area.^[4]

The dam and reservoir have a big problem with siltation. When it was built, the reservoir had a capacity of 13,800 acre-feet (17,000,000 cubic meters) of water and a surface area of 650 acres (260 ha), but because of the continuing siltation, the reservoir now has a capacity of 8,000 acre-feet (9,900,000 cubic meters) and a surface area of 335 acres (136 ha).^[4]