Beaver Park

About Beaver Park

The primary purpose of Beaver Park is irrigation. The dam stores and diverts water for agricultural irrigation, supporting farming operations in the surrounding area. The dam is owned by St. Vrain Reservoir And Fish Company (dan Grant, S (private). It impounds the Beaver Creek near Lyons.

The dam stands 33 feet tall and stretches 1,470 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 105 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 2,731 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 7 square miles. Completed in 1892, 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. Its condition is rated satisfactory, indicating no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 11/09/2022.

At 33 feet, this dam is taller than 78% of dams nationwide.

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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