Granby Dam (National ID # CO01656) is an

earthfill dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...

that dams the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

northeast of

Granby, Colorado The Town of Granby is the Statutory Town that is the most populous municipality in Grand County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 2,079 at the 2020 United States Census. Granby is situated along U.S. Highway 40 in the Middle P ...

Grand County, Colorado Grand County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 15,717. The county seat is Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado, Hot Sulphur Springs. History When Grand County was ...

. This -tall dam was constructed between 1941 and 1950 and has a drainage area of . The Granby Dam's reservoir is known as

Lake Granby Lake Granby is the third largest body of water in Colorado. It was created by the erection of Granby Dam, completed in 1950, as part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Colorado-Big Thompson Project. Water from Lake Granby is pumped via the Farr Pump ...

, the largest reservoir component of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project. Lake Granby stores Colorado River water that is diverted under the Continental Divide for agriculture and municipal use within north-eastern Colorado including the cities of Boulder, Fort Collins, Loveland, and Greeley. In addition to the waters of the Colorado, water from Willow Creek just below the dam is pumped up to Lake Granby. Water from Lake Granby is pumped higher by the Granby Pumping Plant to the Granby Pump Canal, which extents to

Shadow Mountain Lake Shadow Mountain Lake is a reservoir in Grand County, Colorado, near the headwaters of the Colorado River. Shadow Mountain Lake is created by Shadow Mountain Dam. The lake forms a continuous body of water with Grand Lake, the largest natural lake ...

, from which water is diverted through the Alva B. Adams Tunnel to the East Slope. This damsite does not generate any power directly; power is generated at other locations in the Colorado-Big Thompson Project.

References

External links

USBR Granby Dam Website
Dams on the Colorado River Dams in Colorado Buildings and structures in Grand County, Colorado United States Bureau of Reclamation dams Dams completed in 1950 Earth-filled dams {{US-dam-stub