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History |
Hydrology |
Natural History |
Issues and Projects
The
High Plains
Environmental Center is responsible for stewardship of Houts
Reservoir and Equalizer
Lake and the surrounding wetlands and open space. These
two bodies of water are located within the Centerra
community in Loveland and are owned and operated by the Greeley
Loveland Irrigation Company (GLIC). Centerra is developing
a master-planned
community comprised of 2000 homes and 10
million square feet
of commercial and light industrial space.
Recreational use of the lake and reservoir
is limited to fishing in designated areas. The cost of stocking the
lakes will be borne by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. The High
Plains Environmental Center
(HPEC) leases the surface rights from GLIC;
these rights are paid for by a transfer fee collected
from the sale and resale of homes in High Plains Village (the
primary residential development within
Centerra). HPEC limits
all surface use of the lakes to protect it as a
habitat for waterfowl.
History
The High Plains Environmental Center is researching the
history of Houts Reservoir and Equalizer Lake. The
lakes were created nearly 100 years ago as
part of the Greeley Loveland Irrigation Project. The primary
function of these waterbodies is
to provide storage for
agricultural water destined for eastern Colorado. The water
has also been used to irrigate surrounding farmland. In the future,
pumping rights will be used to irrigate parks and open space within
the residential development. The use of the lakes and lands
surrounding them is changing from primarily agricultural to
primarily urban, with the intention of
maintaining and improving the lakes' habitat.
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Hydrology
The water for the lakes is supplied by the Greeley Loveland
Irrigation Canal. This water is diverted from the Big Thompson River
and is also fed by the drainage from several surrounding bodies of
water. Houts Reservoir has about 76 surface acres with a maximum storage
capacity of about 500 acre feet. Equalizer Lake has about 95 surface acres with a maximum
storage capacity of about 600 acre feet. The lakes are separated by a narrow land bridge with Houts to
the north and Equalizer to the south.
The Centerra development is routing much of the drainage through a
series of swales and detention ponds that eventually feed into the
lakes. This eliminates much of the need for sewer pipes and should
control the loading issues from the commercial and residential
sites. A major reason for conducting water quality testing is to
determine the effectiveness of this system, and to understand the
effects of development on water quality.
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Natural History
The area surrounding the lakes is
populated by waterfowl,
raptors and small mammals. Over
80 species of birds have been identified
as breeding, nesting and feeding on the lakes and
the surrounding habitat. Some of the species that visitors
are likely to see include killdeer,
herons, hawks, grebes, owls, pelicans, kestrels, mallards,
and bald eagles in the winter. Many of these birds feed on the
existing fish, rodent and insect populations.
The lakes have been periodically stocked with sport fish, but not
recently. In conjunction with the state Division of Wildlife, HPEC
has conducted two fish surveys, which indicate a history of
stocking and some loading from other parts of the system.
There is an overabundant population of
white suckers as well as populations
of carp, perch, catfish, crappie, white bass, large mouth bass and
walleye. Few of the populations are recurring (reproducing or coming
in from other parts of the system) including white bass, yellow
perch, bullheads, crappie, suckers, gizzard shad and carp.
HPEC is researching the possibility
of resuming stocking these lakes with
as many diverse native species as possible,
and introducing more predation to control
the less desirable fish species.
There is little or no vegetation on the lake bottoms, but
cattails are abundant along much of the shoreline.
HPEC's mission focuses on stewardship of
these lands and habitat, with the intention of protecting and
enhancing the animal populations and lake ecosystems.
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Issues & Projects
HPEC began water quality
sampling in 2002 with the intention of
getting some baseline readings for determining future impacts of the
surrounding development and any attempts at enhancement projects. We
will determine treatments and projects after we have collected
sufficient data – probably beginning in 2004.
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