MEETING AURORA’S FUTURE WATER NEEDS
Aurora Water is proposing to build a new reservoir—Wild Horse Reservoir—about six miles west of Spinney Mountain Reservoir near Hartsel, Colorado, in Park County.
While Aurora Water is a national leader in water conservation and reuse, these efforts alone are not enough to sustain our emergency water reserves in the long term. With increasing risks and evolving climate conditions, additional water storage is needed to help ensure dependable supply during drought and resilience in the event of system outages or emergencies. The proposed Wild Horse Reservoir—in combination with ongoing water conservation and reuse efforts—was deemed to be the best approach to ensuring reliable water delivery for community needs and maintaining emergency water reserves during severe and prolonged droughts or system emergencies.
Information on this website is provided by the City of Aurora. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as the lead federal agency, is managing the federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is a public-facing, comprehensive analysis of the potential environmental and social impacts from Wild Horse Reservoir. The NEPA process is expected to formally begin in 2026 and take about two years to complete. More information will be posted as it becomes available.
Provided that all applicable permits, authorizations, and approvals are received, Aurora Water’s goal is to begin construction on Wild Horse Reservoir around 2030.
