LITTLETON, Colo. — A Colorado reservoir is spilling over its dam for the first time in five years.
Strontia Springs Reservoir is located six miles upstream of the mouth of Waterton Canyon outside of Littleton.
Water is falling from the reservoir's dam about 290 feet down into the South Platte River below, where it will make its way to Denver Water treatment plants.
The water was flowing over the top at about 700 cubic feet per second (cfs) on Thursday, but is forecast to break 1,000 cfs by the time the runoff hits its peak.
The waterfall it creates is about the size of a 25-story skyscraper in downtown Denver.
Denver Water said there are three reasons for this year's spill and it starts with a snowy winter.
The snowpack in the mountains that feeds the reservoir peaked right at 100% of average.
The second reason is there was quite a bit of water left over in the reservoir from last year. The snowpack didn't quite make it to average last year, but Denver Water said there was very little strain on the system thanks to a very rainy May and June in 2023.
Strontia Springs Reservoir was still at 85% full when the snow season started in October.
The third reason is the rainstorm on May 13, when 2 to 4 inches of water fell around the area that runs into the reservoir, boosting the pre-runoff inflows.
The increased streamflow in the South Platte just below the dam is not expected to cause any flooding issues, but it is closed to fishing during the high water.
If you want to witness the spectacle for yourself, Denver Water said the dam could spill into the middle of June. It is a bit of a hike though — six miles in and six miles out on foot, bike or horseback.
Cheesman Reservoir, a little higher up into the mountains, is also spilling at this time, and Lake Granby is also forecast to spill at some point during the snowmelt.
Those dams don't have such a dramatic spillway, but it's a great sign for summer water supply in the Denver area.
More reporting by Cory Reppenhagen:
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