Dillon Reservoir is now 100% full, according to Denver Water, which manages the reservoir.
Nathan Elder, manager of water supply for Denver Water, said it’s normal for the reservoir to be full this time of year, but he noted that the reason it’s full despite an ongoing drought is because the water is carefully managed, and much less water was released from the reservoir to the Blue River than in an average year.
“This year, it’s been dryer than normal, so it did fill a little bit slower, and we released much less out of the reservoir to the Blue River than we typically would to ensure that Dillon would fill this year,” Elder said.
Elder said this was a year where the reservoir started out lower than normal and less water flowed in from the melting snowpack.
Water from Dillon Reservoir flows into the Blue River and Robert’s Tunnel, Elder said, which carries water underneath the Continental Divide, making its way to the South Platte Basin, then to Denver Water treatment plants and finally to customers along the Front Range. The Blue River brings water to Green Mountain Reservoir and eventually to the Colorado River.
