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Taylor Park Dam
Location of Taylor Park Dam in ColoradoShow map of ColoradoTaylor Park Dam (the United States)Show map of the United States
Country	United States
Location	Almont, Colorado
Coordinates	38°49′07″N 106°36′20″W / 38.818645°N 106.605642°W / 38.818645; -106.605642
Purpose	Irrigation
Status	Complete
Construction began	1935 (1935)
Opening date	1937
Built by	Bureau of Reclamation
Operator(s)	Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Earth fill dam
Impounds	Taylor River
Height	206.8 ft (63.0 m)
Width (crest)	675 ft (206 m)
Dam volume	1,115,000 cu yd (852,000 m)
Spillways	1
Spillway type	Weir crest
Spillway length	180 ft (55 m)
Spillway capacity	10,000 cu ft (280 m)/sec at 9,336 ft (2,846 m)
Spillway volumetric flow rate	1,500 cu ft (42 m)/sec at 9,330 ft (2,840 m)
Reservoir
Creates	Taylor Park Reservoir
Total capacity	106,200 ft/acre (80,000 m/ha)
Inactive capacity	9,183 ft/acre (6,916 m/ha)
Maximum water depth	160 ft (49 m)
Normal elevation	9,336 ft (2,846 m)
Power Station
Operator(s)	Gunnison County Electric Association
Commission date	September 20, 2024
Type	Run-of-the-river
Turbines	1
Installed capacity	.5 MW
Annual generation	3.8 million kilowatt-hours
Website Taylor Park Dam

Part of the Uncompahgre Project located on the western slope of central Colorado, the Taylor Park Dam was engineered by the Bureau of Reclamation. It is located on the Taylor River, a tributary of the Gunnison River, and the dam is used to create the Taylor Park Reservoir in Gunnison County, Colorado. The dam has National Inventory of Dams ID number CO00151.

Hydroelectric retrofitting

In September 2024, electric cooperative Gunnison County Electric Association commissioned a 500-kilowatt hydro plant at the dam. Called the Taylor River Hydro Project, the plant's single turbine will operate day and night, all year long, without stopping. The plant is expected to produce 3.8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.

Climate

Taylor Park Reservoir

The Taylor Park Reservoir is a body of water created by the 1937 Taylor Park Dam, which dams the Taylor River of Colorado, United States. The dam and reservoir, located about 35 miles (56 km) northeast of Gunnison, are part of the Uncompahgre Project in Colorado. Recreation management at the reservoir is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service and offers camping and fishing. Available fish species in the reservoir include rainbow, brown, and cutthroat trout, mackinaw, kokanee, northern pike, and brook trout in the tributaries. The summit of Cottonwood Pass lies a few miles east of the reservoir and can be accessed via Gunnison County Road 209 during the summer months.

See also

• List of largest reservoirs of Colorado

References

1. ^ United States Bureau of Reclamation (n.d.). "Taylor Park Dam". Retrieved November 18, 2023.
2. "Taylor Park". National Inventory of Dams. United States Army. May 24, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
3. Walker, Kendra (September 18, 2024). "A new era of power: Taylor River Hydropower Plant ready to electrify the Gunnison Valley". Crested Butte News. Archived from the original on September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
4. "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station:". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 1, 2023.

Additional Sources

• Overview Bureau of Reclamation-Taylor Park Dam

External links

• U.S. Bureau of Reclamation page
• Recreation.gov Link to Taylor Park Reservoir Description and Directions
• Taylor Park Reservoir conditions and reports

v t e Colorado River system
Jurisdictions	United States Arizona California Colorado Nevada New Mexico Utah Wyoming Mexico Baja California Sonora
Canyons	Byers Canyon Gore Canyon Red Gorge Glenwood Canyon De Beque Canyon Horsethief Canyon Ruby Canyon Westwater Canyon Cataract Canyon Narrow Canyon Glen Canyon Grand Canyon Marble Canyon Granite Gorge Middle Granite Gorge Lower Granite Gorge Grand Wash Canyon Iceberg Canyon Virgin Canyon Boulder Canyon Black Canyon Pyramid Canyon Mohave Canyon
Natural features	River course Rocky Mountains Colorado River Basin Colorado Plateau Grand Lake Horseshoe Bend Sonoran Desert Mojave Desert Lower Colorado River Valley Mohave Valley Parker Valley Palo Verde Valley Colorado Desert Alamo River New River Salton Sea Imperial Valley Delta Montague Island Gulf of California/Sea of Cortez
Tributaries	Blue River Dirty Devil River Dolores River Escalante River Eagle River Fraser River Gila River Green River Gunnison River Kanab Creek Little Colorado River Paria River Roaring Fork River San Juan River Thunder River/Tapeats Creek Virgin River Las Vegas Wash Williams Fork Río Hardy
Engineering	Mainstem dams Shadow Mountain Granby Windy Gap Grand Valley Price-Stubb Glen Canyon Hoover Davis Parker Headgate Rock Palo Verde Imperial Laguna Morelos Major reservoirs Fontenelle Reservoir Flaming Gorge Reservoir Blue Mesa Reservoir Navajo Lake Lake Powell Lake Mead Lake Mohave Lake Havasu Imperial Reservoir Theodore Roosevelt Lake San Carlos Lake Aqueducts and canals Grand Ditch Colorado River Aqueduct San Diego Aqueduct Central Arizona Project All-American Canal Alamo Canal Coachella Canal Water projects Boulder Canyon Project Colorado–Big Thompson Project Colorado River Storage Project Grand Valley AVA Yuma Project
Designated areas	Arches National Park Canyonlands National Park Colorado National Monument Dead Horse Point State Park Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Grand Canyon National Park Lake Mead National Recreation Area Rocky Mountain National Park
Related topics	Arizona v. California Colorado River Board of California Colorado River Compact Floyd Dominy Lee's Ferry International Boundary and Water Commission Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Rapids and features U.S. Bureau of Reclamation William Mulholland

• Dams in Colorado
• Buildings and structures in Gunnison County, Colorado
• 1937 establishments in Colorado
• Dams completed in 1937
• Hydroelectric power plants in Colorado