Rueter-Hess Reservoir opens for tour
Pictured above is the outlet tower which releases water from the reservoir through one of four gates.
by Terri Wiebold with photos by Jeremy Gamble
Castle Pines neighbors joined the more than 10,000 other Douglas County residents who participated in Parker Water and Sanitation District’s (PWSD) recent self-guided “Driving Tour” of Rueter-Hess Reservoir. Organizers of the event estimate more than 3,500 cars made the 4.2 mile drive through the reservoir.
In this opportunity of a lifetime, drivers were permitted to take cars along the upper ridge of the existing dam (which, if complete, would place each vehicle 184 above the valley floor) and through the reservoir basin (which, if filled, would put each vehicle 170 feet under water).
Rueter-Hess Reservoir is located in Parker, only a few miles northeast of the Castle Pines community. The project, which began nearly 30 years ago, is designed to capture surface water – especially storm runoff – that normally would be lost downstream. By storing water, it will assist participating special districts in meeting water demands during peak summer months, thus extending the life of existing underground water aquifers.
Currently, the reservoir contains approximately 340 acre-feet of water, which is the result of natural drainage from the nearby Newlin Gulch drainage area. Upon its estimated completion in the spring of 2012, Rueter-Hess Reservoir will have a capacity of 72,000 acre-feet of water, which equates to 23,461,200,000 gallons of water.
The surface area of the filled reservoir will be approximately1,200 acres or 1.5 times the size of Cherry Creek Reservoir.
Partners in the project include the Castle Pines North Metro District, the Town of Castle Rock, and the Stonegate Village Metropolitan District. Additional information about the project can be found at www.pwsd.org.
Cars were backed up for miles during the Rueter-Hess 4.2 mile driving tour on, in, and around the reservoir.
