Project Active:

2012

Big Beaver Creek & White River – Big Beaver Creek Reservoir

A short-term lease of water rights held by Colorado Parks and Wildlife to benefit the natural environment in dry years

Through 2020, the Big Beaver project has restored

million gallons

acre-feet

of water to Big Beaver Creek and the White River.

How Did This Project Come to Us?:

Colorado Water Trust received an offer through the 2012 Request For Water program to help catalyze a water lease between Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) which would support increasing streamflow and lowering water temperature all the way from Big Beaver Creek Reservoir, through Big Beaver Creek, to the White River.

Tools Used:

Reservoir Release (Water from Big Beaver Reservoir was released at a rate of 18cfs in the late summer to lower water temperatures and to reconnect dry reaches.)

Project Partners:

Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Project Years:

This lease was created through the 2012 Request for Water program. Following the success of the Water Trust’s efforts, CPW has developed a lease under the new program which will ensure healthy flows for up to 15 of the next 30 years.

Photo Credit: Dave Graf

Use the flow dashboard below to learn about the operations of the Big Beaver project, and just how much water has been restored to Big Beaver Creek and the White River over the project’s lifetime. Just click or hover over the graphs below to learn more!

If you have trouble seeing the graphs below, click here