RBC | Discussion of expanding Lake Avery — aka Big Beaver Reservoir – has been going on since shortly after its construction, Area Wildlife Manager Bill deVergie of Colorado Parks and Wildlife told a packed room at Smoking River Brewing Co. Tuesday. White River Alliance organized the presentation to discuss upcoming plans for the reservoir.
White River Alliance hosted CPW Area Wildlife Manager Bill deVergie Tuesday at Smoking River Brewing Co. to discuss Lake Avery. | NIKI TURNER PHOTO
At this time, there are no concrete plans for expanding the reservoir, deVergie said, but plans are underway for dam repair and maintenance that will disrupt fishing and water recreation at the reservoir. “2024 is not going to be much fun up there as far as recreation,” deVergie said.
The earthen dam that holds back more than 7,600 acre-feet of water is 102 feet tall and was constructed in 1964. (One acre-foot of water is equivalent to about 326,000 gallons.)
The State of Colorado considers the dam a “high hazard dam” because of the potential harm to people and property if the dam was breached. State inspectors have been downgrading the dam for the past several years and is now rated “unsatisfactory,” necessitating repairs that will be paid for by CPW.
“It’s not an option,” deVergie said. “It’s a mandate.” The last time repairs were done on the Big Beaver Dam was in the early 1990s to repair seepage.
A similar repair process will begin in 2023 and continue into 2024. CPW will begin “drawing down” the water level in the reservoir in the fall of 2023 when flows in the White River are low. Once repairs are made, the reservoir will be refilled “as quick as we can” and CPW will restock the reservoir with six species of fish.
Rio Blanco Lake, which was drained to remove non-native fish and improve fish habitat, is expected to be filled in the meantime for fishing. deVergie said CPW is currently waiting on backordered materials to complete repairs begun last year.
As far as potential expansion of Lake Avery, which has been brought up in community discussion as an alternative to the proposed Wolf Creek Reservoir, deVergie said CPW has been approached by the Yellow Jacket Water Conservancy District. That group recently obtained legal approval in water court to store up to 10,000 acre feet of water in Lake Avery if the lake has the capacity to store it. Feasibility studies and the NEPA process would be required before that could happen, and YJWCD would need to procure funding and take the lead on the project.
By NIKI TURNER – editor@editorht1885.com
