Eagle Valley Trout Unlimited
2010 May

Homestake Water System

The Homestake Water Collection and Storage System was conceived by the City of Aurora in the late 1950's as a dependable source of raw water. It was constructed (1963-1967) and is jointly operated by the Cities of Aurora and Colorado Springs which share equally in the costs and water yield.  The system consists of a series of collection and diversion structures in the headwaters of the Eagle River, the Homestake Reservoir, the Homestake Tunnel and the Otero Pump Station and Pipeline.  The Homestake Project also makes use of facilities constructed by the federal government as part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Frying Pan-Arkansas Project.  Like most Colorado water projects, the yield is very seasonal-- as 97 percent of the water arrives in the months of May through July. System storage is the key factor that makes these projects feasible.  The total system utilizes 72,882 acre-feet of storage space including 42,882 acre-feet  in Homestake Reservoir and 30,000 acre-feet  in Turquoise Reservoir. 

Homestake Reservior

The Homestake Reservoir is a 45,000 acre-foot reservoir located southern Eagle County in the Colorado River basin. Aurora¹s share of the usable capacity of Homestake Reservoir is 21,441 acre-feet.  The Homestake trans-mountain diversion system collects water from several tributaries of Homestake Creek and stores water in Homestake Reservoir for delivery through the 5.2 mile long Homestake Tunnel under the continental divide into Turquoise Reservoir.   Real-time Homestake Reservoir data is available from the Homestake Reservoir links.  Outflow on Homestake Creek is measured on the HOMEOUTCO gage. Flow through the Homestake Tunnel is available at HOMTUNCO. To learn more click here

The Homestake Project Pt. 1 - B/W 1967

Aurora Water - The Homestake Project Part 2 - B/W 1967