History
The water and power control center for Colorado-Big Thompson Project's reservoirs, power plants, and transmission lines in Wyoming, Colorado, and western Nebraska is at the Western Area Power Administration facility in Loveland, Colorado. This Western Division of the Missouri River Basin is an interconnected system of 15 Reclamation power plants.
The President approved the Secretary of the Interior's finding of feasibility on December 21, 1937.
The Colorado-Big Thompson Project is one of the largest and most complex natural resource developments undertaken by Reclamation. It consists of over 100 structures integrated into a transmountain water diversion system through which multiple benefits are provided to the people. The project spreads over approximately 250 miles in Colorado. It stores, regulates, and diverts water from the Colorado River on the western slope of the Continental Divide to the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. It provides supplemental water for irrigation of about 720,000 acres of land, municipal and industrial use, hydroelectric power, and water-oriented recreation opportunities.
Plan
Generating hydroelectric power for the project and providing water to Carter Lake for delivery to other customers. The water and power control center for Colorado-Big Thompson Project's reservoirs, power plants, and transmission lines in Wyoming, Colorado, and western Nebraska is at the Western Area Power Administration facility in Loveland, Colorado. This Western Division of the Missouri River Basin is an interconnected system of 15 Reclamation power plants. Outages and costs show an increase caused by the Unit Alignment work done on Flatiron Unit 2, and the conclusion of several ROM items. Flatiron units one and two are on AGC and provide VAR support and are occasionally used for spinning reserve. The low generation figures for 2001 are due to late runoff in the spring. The Flatiron Power Plant discharges into Flatiron Reservoir, which regulates the water for release to the foothills storage and distribution system. The afterbay storage in Flatiron Reservoir and the forebay storage in Pinewood Lake enable Flatiron Power Plant to meet daily power loads. The Flatiron reversible pump (Unit 3) lifts water from Flatiron Reservoir, a maximum of 297 feet, and delivers it through Carter Lake pressure conduit and tunnel to Carter Lake. When the flow is reversed, the unit acts as a turbine-generator and produces electric energy.
