Chatfield Reservoir is more than just a beautiful place.
It provides safety from flooding, recreational activities, supports several species of birds, wildlife and aquatics, and stores drinking water supply for local communities. You can help preserve Chatfield now by helping keep the Chatfield watershed clean. The Chatfield Watershed Authority promotes the protection of water quality in the Chatfield Watershed for recreation, fisheries, drinking water supplies, and other beneficial uses.
To protect these beneficial uses, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Water Quality Control Commission, adopted Regulation #73. This regulation includes limits on the amount of phosphorus that can get into the reservoir. The number one source of phosphorus to Chatfield Reservoir is from nonpoint sources (NPS). Nonpoint sources of nutrients, such as phosphorus, come from many diffuse sources. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even our underground sources of drinking water.
SB23-267 - The Chatfield State Park Water Quality Fee signed into law
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Water released from Chatfield Reservoir Environmental Pool into South Platte River in historic first
Jan. 7, 2025
Colorado Parks and Wildlife initiated the first release of water from the Chatfield Reservoir Environmental Pool to increase flows in the South Platte River below the reservoir. The historic release began Tuesday morning and provided three cubic feet per second of water into the South Platte to alleviate low flow conditions, support aquatic life and enhance ecosystem function.
The first water release from the Chatfield Environmental Pool marks the next step in reservoir operations at Chatfield State Park and aquatic habitat management in the South Platte River. The 2,100 acre-foot pool was created through the Chatfield Storage Reallocation Project, which provides increased water storage capacity for municipal water providers and downstream irrigators by capturing high flows from large rainstorms and snow runoff. As a part of the increased operating level of Chatfield Reservoir, the project designated the pool to store additional water within the reservoir with the intent of releasing water to relieve stress on aquatic life during low flow conditions in the South Platte.
Future releases into the South Platte will be contingent on several factors including water availability, habitat needs and conditions at the park. While annual releases are not guaranteed, CPW will continue to manage the environmental pool at Chatfield State Park for recreation and ecosystem health.