ABOUT WILD HORSE RESERVOIR
The proposed location for Wild Horse Reservoir is in Park County, Colorado near Hartsel – about six miles west of Spinney Reservoir. The Wild Horse Reservoir is a critical component of infrastructure needed to ensure sustainable water deliveries to meet future demands and to enhance resilience during droughts or emergencies.
The area selected in Park County would be an ideal location for Wild Horse Reservoir due to its proximity to Otero Pipeline and existing infrastructure that Aurora already owns, in partnership with Colorado Springs. The Otero Pipeline, which conveys water to Aurora’s Spinney Mountain Reservoir, can be used to fill the Wild Horse Reservoir.
High altitude reservoirs are desirable because they lose less water to evaporation and have fewer water quality issues. The proposed location, depth and size of Wild Horse would maximize these efficiencies. The location also has minimal environmental impacts.
Now in the planning and pre-permitting phase, Aurora’s is proposing to have Wild Horse Reservoir completed in the 2030s.
FAST FACTS
- Would store store approximately 90,000 acre-feet of water
- 150-feet deep reservoir, 12 miles of shoreline
- Off-channel reservoir, no direct impacts to the South Platte River or its tributaries
- Favorable environmental conditions
- No new water rights or decrees needed for the project
- Working with Park County to minimize impacts and maximize county benefits
- Federal permitting led by Bureau of Land Management
