Hidden Piping: Willow Creek Dam, Clark, Colorado

Willow Creek Dam is 96 foot high, multi-section, earth fill dam in the northern mountains of Colorado, which has a crest elevation of 8046 feet. It is owned by the State of Colorado and operated by the Division of Parks. It has a six foot diameter pipe with a four by six foot slide gate, housed in a tower, midway through the dam. At spillway elevation of 8035, the surface area is one thousand twelve acres con­taining 23,364 acre-feet of water. The emergency spillway has a weir elevation of 8037 .17 feet and design maximum elevation of 8041.5 feet. At this elevation, the reservoir has 1264 acre surface area and contains 30,463 acre-feet of water. The main purpose of the dam is to provide recreation for Colorado residents. Boating, fishing and camping are the main activities. The dam is snowed-in from December to March each year when snowmobling and ice fishing are practiced. Cont.