Horsetooth Reservoir Nearly At Capacity, Concerns Over Rising Water Levels
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4)- With more rain in the forecast flood concerns are on the rise for people living along the Front Range. Many rivers are running at above or average flows for this time of year and that includes Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins.
Horsetooth Reservoir is nearly full already, at 98 percent capacity. That high level is also impacting rivers along the Front Range.
According to the Northern Water Conservation Board the Cache la Poudre is flowing at more than 1,200 cubic feet per second, nearly three times its normal rate for this time of year.
The Poudre Fire Authority is urging people to stay out of the river near Fort Collins.
"Moving water can always be deceiving you may not know how fast its actually flowing and actually it may be flowing a little faster right underneath the surface than it is at the surface," said Poudre Fire Authority spokesman Patrick Love. "If you do kayak, etc., wear a helmet, a life vest, have the proper gear."
Love also said it takes at least 16 firefighters to conduct a proper rescue effort.
The Cache la Poudre River's level still sits about three feet under what's considered minor flood stage, which is enough to warrant additional monitoring but is not likely to cause the banks to overflow.
"There is a heightened awareness with us and other rescue agencies along the front range and what we're doing about that not only are we monitoring river levels and speed of flow but we're also keeping an eye on what is happening in our backyard," said Love.
To alleviate flood concerns, Northern Water began releasing water out of Lake Granby on Friday, sending it west out of Granby Dam. They hope to ease the burden on already full reservoirs and rivers when snow melt speeds up as the temperatures heat up.
