Who
The Clinton Gulch Reservoir was built between 1974 and 1978 by the Climax Molybdenum Company; on August of 1992 the Clinton Gulch Reservoir was sold to the Clinton Ditch & Reservoir Company, which includes among its shareholders Summit County, the Towns of Breckenridge, Dillon and Silverthorne, and the Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone and Winter Park Ski Areas. Now 25 years later the reservoir has become an increasingly critical resource for business and recreation in the Summit and Grand counties as well as for Lake County and for people throughout Colorado.
Where
The reservoir capacity is 4,460 acre feet and its water source is Clinton Creek. The water is retained by a rockfill dam with dimensions of approximately 170 feet high and 1,500 feet long. The water in the reservoir is used primarily for municipal, irrigation and snow-making purposes. Clinton Gulch Reservoir provides a reliable source of water supply to local private and government entities in an over-appropriated basin. Also, due to its location high in the basin (at 11,050 feet), releases from the Reservoir for downstream uses help maintain healthy stream flows in Tenmile Creek.
The Seametrics Solution
We have monitored water levels in the reservoir and its outlet canal using Seametrics’ PT2X Pressure & Level Sensors since 2007. Because the location of the dam is about a 2 hour drive from our office and there is no cell phone coverage at its location, we used a phone landline and modem to connect to the PT2X sensors in order to periodically download data needed for water rights reporting and administration. We recently updated our communication equipment to a satellite connection that allows us to remotely operate the outlet valves. With the help of Sean Venable, Seametrics Product Manager, we were able to easily integrate our reliable PT2X sensors into the new system.
-Clinton Ditch & Reservoir Company