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 project headquarters in Loveland, Colorado. This Western Division of the Missouri River Basin is an interconnected system of 15 Reclamation power plants.
The Secretary's finding of feasibility was approved by the President 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 the State of 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
Marys Lake provides afterbay and forebay capacity for reregulating water flow. Marys Lake Power Plant provides generation of hydroelectric power for the project. Marys Lake discharges into Estes Power Plant. There is limited afterbay storage, therefore, operation of Marys Lake Power Plant must be coordinated with the Estes Power Plant. 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 project headquarters in Loveland, Colorado. This Western Division of the Missouri River Basin is an interconnected system of 15 Reclamation power plants. Mary's Lake switchyard replacement, Transformer, Breaker, Disconnects and add oil spill containment for transformer. In Fall of 2003, Mary's Lake Control Boards replacement, Relaying, AC/DC Station Service Panels, Unit Control Board. During fiscal year 1995, major work was completed on the power plant causing plant availability to be down for that year.
