Qualla: Green Mountain Reservoir

Green Mountain Reservoir: Introduction

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jeffrey Beall, CC BY-SA 3.0. Nestled at the northern end of Summit County, Colorado, Green Mountain Reservoir stretches along the Blue River like a sapphire set among the Rocky Mountains. This is not a natural lake but a carefully engineered compromise, the first facility built as part of President Roosevelt's Colorado-Big Thompson Project. Here, the competing water needs of Colorado's eastern cities and western agriculture found a middle ground that still holds today.

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Image: Jeffrey Beall | CC BY-SA 3.0

Green Mountain Reservoir: The Great Compromise

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0. When the Colorado-Big Thompson Project was proposed in 1937, the Western Slope faced a troubling prospect: water from their side of the Continental Divide would be diverted east to thirsty cities along the Front Range. Green Mountain Reservoir was the solution that made the proje...

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Image: Pi.1415926535 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Green Mountain Reservoir: Power and Recreation

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0. The reservoir does more than store water for agriculture. At its base, the Green Mountain Power Plant generates up to 21,000 kilowatts using two generators. Combined with five other federal power plants in the Colorado-Big Thompson system, it produces enough electricity to power ...

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Image: Pi.1415926535 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Green Mountain Reservoir: Mountain Setting

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0. State Highway 9 follows the reservoir's eastern shore, offering travelers views of water and mountains that seem almost too perfect to be real. The small town of Heeney sits on the western bank, and the Green Mountain Reservoir Trail traces the western shoreline for hikers and mo...

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Image: Jeffrey Beall | CC BY 4.0