Lake Granby Overflow Spill Good News For Colorado's Water

GRAND COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Colorado's snowy winter and spring has caused one of the state's largest bodies of water to reach capacity early in the summer season.

It doesn't happen every year, but Lake Granby's overflow spillway is a sight to see.

Water gushes from 320 feet in the air, out of the lake and into the headwater of the Colorado River. Water was flowing at 800 cubic feet per second as of Friday afternoon. The big wave at the base of the fall is caused by massive concrete blocks.

The big spill means Lake Granby -- the water body that supplies Fort Collins, Greeley and Boulder -- is full. Water experts say that because they're able to do this spill it will be a good water year for Colorado.

"This signals that there's still a lot of water, a lot of snowpack up in Rocky Mountain National Park that's coming into our reservoirs and we don't have enough room to capture it all. So good water year, we're smiling in the water business today," said Brian Werner of Northern Water.

Water pouring down the spillway will eventually end up in Lake Powell.