Platoro Dam

Platoro Dam (National ID # CO82911) is a dam in Conejos County, Colorado.

Platoro Dam
The reservoir viewed from the top of the dam
Location of Platoro Dam in Colorado
CountryUnited States
LocationConejos County, Colorado
Coordinates37.35114°N 106.5473°W / 37.35114; -106.5473
PurposeIrrigation water storage
Opening date1951
Owner(s)United States Bureau of Reclamation
Dam and spillways
Height165 feet (50 m)
Elevation at crest9,993 feet (3,046 m)[1]
Width (crest)1,475 feet (450 m)
Reservoir
Total capacity53,506 acre feet (65,999,000 m3)
Surface area1.5 square miles (3.9 km2)
Normal elevation9,977 feet (3,041 m)[2]
The dam viewed from across the canyon

The earthen dam was constructed between 1949 and 1951 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation with a height of 165 feet (50 m), and 1,475 feet (450 m) long at its crest.[3] It impounds the Conejos River, a tributary of the Rio Grande, for irrigation water storage as part of the larger San Luis Valley Project. The dam is owned by the Bureau, and operated by the local Conejos Water Conservancy.

The reservoir it creates, Platoro Reservoir, has a normal water surface of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2), and a maximum capacity of 53,506 acre feet (65,999,000 m3).[4] Recreation includes fishing, camping, boating and hunting, although use is light because of the remote, high mountain valley location and the short season.[5]

See also
  • List of largest reservoirs of Colorado

References
  1. "Platoro Dam". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. "Platoro Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  3. http://www.usbr.gov/projects/Facility.jsp?fac_Name=Platoro+Dam&groupName=Overview
  4. http://findlakes.com/main.php?platoro
  5. http://www.recreation.gov/recAreaDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&recAreaId=58&agencyCode=129
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