Water Sources
Most of Greeley's water begins as rain and snow runoff into rivers in the Colorado, Laramie, Big Thompson and Cache La Poudre water basins. Greeley operates six mountain reservoirs in the Poudre River Basin and uses Boyd Lake, Lake Loveland, and Horsetooth Reservoir, which deliver water from the Big Thompson and Colorado Rivers.
Greeley Water team members operate the system to capture water in reservoirs during spring snowmelt and release it as needed throughout the year. Greeley water may travel up to 45 miles before it reaches a plant for treatment and delivery. City demands are highest in June, July, and August. Staff who operate the high mountain reservoirs monitor the remote dams and their supplies in all weather conditions. Workers snowshoe to reach the dams and dig through snow 4 feet deep. They break through ice 2 feet thick to read gauges. Snowplowing some reservoir roads can take up to two weeks due to 12- to 15-foot snowdrifts.
We rely on reservoirs to serve various purposes. For instance, we use Milton Seaman Reservoir water for drought protection. We reserve Barnes Meadow water for winter releases to a city treatment plant.