Lake Nighthorse
| Lake Nighthorse | |
|---|---|
 The lake viewed from the overlook on County Road 210 | |
  Lake Nighthorse Location within Colorado  Lake Nighthorse Location within the United States | |
| Location | Colorado |
| Coordinates | 37°13′29.99″N 107°54′53.16″W / 37.2249972°N 107.9147667°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Durango Pumping Plant (Animas River) | |
| Basin Creek (Outflow returns to the Animas River) | |
| Basin countries | United States |
Surface area | 1,490 acres (600 ha)[1] |
Water volume | 120,000 acre-feet (150,000,000 m3)[2] |
Lake Nighthorse is a reservoir created by the 270 feet (82 m) high Ridges Basin Dam[1] southwest of Durango in La Plata County Colorado. As part of the Animas-La Plata Water Project, Lake Nighthorse provides water storage for tribal and water right claim-holders along the Animas River.
History
First authorized by the U.S. Congress on September 30, 1968 (Public Law 90-537),[3] the Animas-La Plata Water Project, as it came to be known, experienced a few decades of delays due in part to political concerns, farming claims, environmental challenges, cost overruns and government funding issues. A breakthrough to the delays came with the Colorado Ute Settlement Act Amendments in December 2000 (Public Law 106–554).[4]
The Bureau of Reclamation began construction in 2003, with the reservoir filling to capacity on June 29, 2011, at a total cost of $500 million. Lake Nighthorse is named in honor of former United States Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo.[5][6]
Lake Nighthorse covers Sacred Ridge, a former multiple habitation archaeological site. Excavations at the Sacred Ridge site (c. 800 CE) documented evidence of a large-scale episode of lethal violence and perimortem mutilation.[7]
Recreation and marinas
The lake is open as of April 1, 2018, for recreation, fishing and boating. It has been stocked with kokanee salmon, rainbow trout and brown trout.
References
- 1 2 "Project Information". usbr.gov. Bureau of Reclamation. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ↑ "US Bureau of Reclamation Project Status". US Department of the Interior. 23 March 2015. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ↑ "Colorado River Basin Project Act" (PDF). usbr.gov. Bureau of Reclamation. 1968. pp. 11–14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ↑ "Colorado Ute Settlement Act Amendments" (PDF). gpo.gov. U.S. Government Printing Office. 21 December 2000. pp. 258–266. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ↑ "Lake Nighthorse reaches capacity". Durango Herald. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Project Overview". Bureau of Reclamation. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
- ↑ Potter, James M.; Chuipka, Jason P. (2010). "Perimortem mutilation of human remains in an early village in the American Southwest: A case for ethnic violence". Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. 29 (4): 507–523. doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2010.08.001.