Wildhorse

About Wildhorse

The primary purpose of Wildhorse is irrigation. The dam stores and diverts water for agricultural irrigation, supporting farming operations in the surrounding area. The dam is owned by Usda Fs (federal). It impounds the Branch Of Wildhorse Creek.

The dam stands 20 feet tall and stretches 995 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 65 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 617 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 3,120 square miles. Completed in 1920, the structure is over a century old.

This dam carries a high hazard potential classification, which means that a failure or uncontrolled release of water would likely cause loss of human life. This classification reflects the consequences of failure, not the likelihood — it indicates that people live or work in the area downstream. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 03/26/2018. That was 8 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

Living Downstream

If you live or work downstream of this dam, consider taking these steps: learn your local evacuation routes, check whether your county emergency management office has a dam failure inundation map, and sign up for local emergency alerts. The Colorado dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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