In the winter of 2025, after 20 years of planning and four years of work, the Chimney Hollow Reservoir project, west of Loveland and Berthoud was completed. The dam for Northern Colorado at 350 feet tall, is one of the country’s tallest dams, and is one of the first in the nation to be an “asphalt core” dam.
Who Gets the Water from Chimney Hollow Reservoir?
Once the Chimney Hollow Reservoir begins dispersing water, it will serve 12 municipalities and utilities in Northern Colorado, serving over 825,000 people: Broomfield Erie, Fort Lupton, Greeley, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Loveland, Superior, Central Weld County Water District, Little Thompson Water District, Platte River Power Authority.
Chimney Hollow Reservoir’s Connection to the “Computer Age”
The 3,500 acres that Chimney Hollow Reservoir sits on was once owned by what was once a major employer in the Loveland area, Hewlett-Packard (HP.) Many around Loveland may know of Hermit Park, a corporate retreat which HP owned, which later become Hermit Park Open Space. The Chimney Hollow land, purchased in 2004, was also planned retreat space for HP at one time.
Montana Construction Firm Behind Majority of Work on Chimney Hollow
While there were sub-contractors on the Chimney Hollow Dam/Reservoir Project, the majority of the 500 persons on the job (at the height of construction) was a firm out of Montana, Barnard Construction, which put in over 3 million man-hours. In the final video, their close-out manager for the project gets a little emotional talking about all the work they put in, and how it’s bittersweet to walk away from it.
What About the Uranium Concerns at Chimney Hollow?
Midway through the project, in 2023, it was discovered that the rocks used from the on-site quarry contained uranium that could seep into the reservoir and pose hazardous for consumption. While they are not planning on releasing any water to the public until 2027, they will be implementing ways to fully mitigate the uranium issue; they will not release any water until they are certain that it is safe for all. You can stay update on the mitigation plans with Northern Water’s Facebook page.
Take a look at the final project video, including a very cool time-lapse of the project…