Shadow Mountain Dam
Encyclopedia
Shadow Mountain Dam is a zoned earthfill dam on the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...

 in Grand County, Colorado
Grand County, Colorado
Grand County is the 21st largest of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 12,442 at U.S. Census 2000...

. Constructed between 1944 and 1946, the Shadow Mountain Dam creates the Shadow Mountain Lake
Shadow Mountain Lake
Shadow Mountain Lake is a reservoir in Grand County, Colorado, near the headwaters of the Colorado River. Shadow Mountain Lake is created by Shadow Mountain Dam...

, with a structural height of 63 feet (19.2 m) and a drainage area of 187 square miles (484.3 km²). Shadow Mountain Lake is a holding reservoir for water pumped up from Lake Granby
Lake Granby
Lake Granby is the second largest body of water in Colorado. It was created as part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project and forms a continuous body of water with Shadow Mountain Reservoir and Grand Lake. On its own, Lake Granby contains approximately 40 miles of shoreline. The lake is popular...

 just to the south through the Granby Pumping Plant and Canal. Shadow Mountain Lake is connected by a short channel to the natural Grand Lake
Grand Lake (Colorado)
Grand Lake is Colorado's largest and deepest natural lake, one of the headwaters of the Colorado River in Grand County, Colorado. On its shores is located the eponymous town of Grand Lake. The elevation of the lake surface is 8,367 feet . It is formed by the damming of several streams by a...

. The east portal of the Alva B. Adams Tunnel is located on Grand Lake. The Adams Tunnel diverts west slope water to the east slope of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...

 for use in agriculture and to serve the populated areas of Colorado, including Denver.

External links

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