Vallecito Dam (National ID # CO01695) is a dam in La Plata County, Colorado[2] about 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Durango.[3]
| Vallecito Dam | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | La Plata County, Colorado |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date | 1940 |
| Built by | United States Bureau of Reclamation |
| Designed by | Civilian Conservation Corps |
| Operator(s) | Civilian Conservation Corps |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Height | 162 ft (49 m) |
| Length | 4,010 ft (1,220 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 125,400 acre⋅ft (154,700,000 m3) |
| Surface area | 4.3 sq mi (11 km2) |
| Normal elevation | 2,338 m (7,671 ft)[1] |
Trees were cleared for the reservoir by the Civilian Conservation Corps.[4] The earthen dam was constructed in 1940 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, with a height of 162 feet (49 m), and a length at its crest of 4,010 feet (1,220 m).[3] It impounds the Los Pinos River for irrigation water storage. The dam is owned by the Bureau and is operated by the local Pine River Irrigation District.
The reservoir it creates, Vallecito Reservoir, has a water surface of 4.3 square miles (11 km2) and a maximum capacity of 125,400 acre-feet (154,700,000 m3).[2][3] Recreational opportunities include fishing, hunting, boating, camping and hiking.[5]
Climate
edit| Climate data for Vallecito Dam, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, 1917-2020 records: 7644ft (2330m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 62 (17) |
63 (17) |
71 (22) |
79 (26) |
87 (31) |
92 (33) |
93 (34) |
91 (33) |
90 (32) |
82 (28) |
70 (21) |
62 (17) |
93 (34) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 49.5 (9.7) |
51.3 (10.7) |
61.7 (16.5) |
69.3 (20.7) |
77.2 (25.1) |
85.4 (29.7) |
88.1 (31.2) |
85.0 (29.4) |
81.2 (27.3) |
72.9 (22.7) |
60.5 (15.8) |
50.8 (10.4) |
88.4 (31.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 38.0 (3.3) |
40.8 (4.9) |
49.1 (9.5) |
56.8 (13.8) |
65.7 (18.7) |
76.8 (24.9) |
81.1 (27.3) |
78.7 (25.9) |
72.5 (22.5) |
60.9 (16.1) |
48.3 (9.1) |
38.5 (3.6) |
58.9 (15.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 22.6 (−5.2) |
26.0 (−3.3) |
34.8 (1.6) |
42.0 (5.6) |
50.2 (10.1) |
59.4 (15.2) |
65.0 (18.3) |
63.2 (17.3) |
56.4 (13.6) |
45.6 (7.6) |
34.4 (1.3) |
25.3 (−3.7) |
43.7 (6.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 7.2 (−13.8) |
11.1 (−11.6) |
20.4 (−6.4) |
27.2 (−2.7) |
34.6 (1.4) |
42.1 (5.6) |
48.8 (9.3) |
47.8 (8.8) |
40.3 (4.6) |
30.3 (−0.9) |
20.5 (−6.4) |
12.1 (−11.1) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −9.0 (−22.8) |
−6.7 (−21.5) |
3.5 (−15.8) |
15.4 (−9.2) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
32.3 (0.2) |
41.3 (5.2) |
40.9 (4.9) |
29.6 (−1.3) |
18.3 (−7.6) |
4.6 (−15.2) |
−5.6 (−20.9) |
−12.0 (−24.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −35 (−37) |
−31 (−35) |
−21 (−29) |
−6 (−21) |
15 (−9) |
20 (−7) |
32 (0) |
28 (−2) |
22 (−6) |
2 (−17) |
−10 (−23) |
−22 (−30) |
−35 (−37) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.52 (64) |
2.14 (54) |
1.69 (43) |
1.36 (35) |
1.66 (42) |
0.88 (22) |
2.57 (65) |
3.24 (82) |
3.36 (85) |
2.34 (59) |
1.93 (49) |
2.07 (53) |
25.76 (653) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 19.60 (49.8) |
21.20 (53.8) |
10.40 (26.4) |
3.60 (9.1) |
0.60 (1.5) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.70 (1.8) |
7.40 (18.8) |
21.40 (54.4) |
84.9 (215.6) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 6.1 | 7.3 | 6.3 | 5.8 | 7.7 | 4.6 | 12.8 | 14.9 | 10.7 | 7.3 | 5.3 | 7.7 | 96.5 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 5.5 | 6.5 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 3.7 | 7.2 | 30.5 |
| Source 1: NOAA[6] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS2 (records & monthly max/mins)[7] | |||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Vallecito Dam
- ^ a b "Vallecito". National Inventory of Dams. May 24, 2021. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Vallecito Dam". United States Bureau of Reclamation. n.d. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- ^ United States. Dept. of the Interior (1942). Annual Report of the Department of the Interior. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 22.
- ^ "Vallecito Reservoir". Recreation.gov. 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- ^ "Vallecito Dam, Colorado 1991-2020 Monthly Normals". Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ "xmACIS". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
External links
edit- Online recreation page
Media related to Vallecito Dam at Wikimedia Commons
