New Reservoir Ready To Go In Northern Colorado

If you hadn't already heard, Northern Colorado is getting a new reservoir and it's finally ready to be filled with water.

The Chimney Hollow Reservoir was completed in December, but has sat empty ever since after crews detected mineralized uranium on the property.

Northern Water completed the massive dam at the end of last year - one of the largest built in the United States in recent history - and was ready to start filling the reservoir when they discovered the uranium in the rocks used to build the dam, which were taken from the very site the reservoir is being built.

Uranium, of course, is a naturally occurring "weakly" radioactive heavy metal that is used to fuel nuclear power plants as it's a mineral that has an abundant source of constant energy.

READ MORE: Here's Everything to Know About Chimney Hollow Reservoir

As they begin to fill the reservoir, the plan for now is only to bring in 1,500-acre feet of water, which makes up only about 2% of the reservoir's total capacity.

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It's located near Carter Lake in Loveland and when filled will boost water security for 12 Northern Colorado communities, filled by the Colorado River via the Alva B. Adams tunnel.

It's been a $600 milion-plus project and aims to provide water to more than 800,000 residents across the northern part of the state. The project began back in 2021 and is expected to open at some point for recreational activities in addition to being a water source. Most recent estimates have a target of 2028 for boating, hiking and fishing.

You can find out more about it by visiting the Northern Water website.