Cherry Creek Dam and Lake

Cherry Creek Dam and Lake was the first of the three dam and reservoir projects built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to collectively lower the risks to the Denver region from catastrophic flooding that plagued the region for centuries.  When not operating the dam to reduce flood impacts, USACE stores and releases water for recreation, water quality, and to support fish and wildlife with its partners, Colorado State Parks and the cities of Denver, Greenwood Village, and Aurora.   

Studies on Cherry Creek Dam

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District is currently conducting a Dam Safety Modification Study to consider and assess options for reducing the potential for life loss and property damage from detailed risks associated with the dam. For the more than 300,000 people living within this area, the dam reduces flooding risks for locations that would be prone to regular flooding.

The Cherry Creek Dam Safety Modification Study and public involvement process is addressed through the NEPA process.

An additional Water Control Plan Modification Study is being conducted to identify the beginning of extreme flooding conditions, determine when to begin making releases, and evaluate appropriate release rates under those conditions.

Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! Prevent invasive species Water Safety Reserve a campsite at USACE campgrounds at Recreation.gov Purchase Navigation and Boating Maps from the Jefferson National Parks Association

Description

Location: Construction of the dam was completed in the early 1950s at the southeast edge of Denver in Aurora, Colo. Cherry Creek Lake, the reservoir behind the dam, lies on Cherry Creek at its confluence with Cottonwood Creek. The dam consists of an earthen embankment, an outlet structure for releasing stored water, and a spillway through which excess water can flow into the adjacent Toll Gate and Sand Creek drainage basins during times of extreme runoff from rain and snowmelt. More detailed information about the project’s features are available here.

Cherry Creek Lake lies on Cherry Creek at its confluence with Cottonwood Creek, at the southeast edge of Denver. The lake is 3.25 miles long and has an average depth of 46 feet. The lake drains an area of approximately 390 square miles. The 850-surface-acre lake has a storage capacity of 13,960 acre-feet.
Cherry Creek Dam was the first of the three dams to be built to lower the risks to the Denver region from catastrophic South Platte River floodwaters that plagued the area for more than 100 years. Located at the southeast edge of Denver in Aurora, Colo., construction of the dam began in 1948 and completed in 1950.

Operating for many benefits

Cherry Creek Dam and Lake provide many benefits to the local and regional public, most importantly the reduction of the loss of life and property damage from floods.  

Recreation

Cherry Creek Lake lies on Cherry Creek at its confluence with Cottonwood Creek, at the southeast edge of Denver. The lake is 3.25 miles long and has an average depth of 46 feet. The lake drains an area of approximately 390 square miles. The 840-surface-acre lake has a storage capacity of 12,558 acre-feet at normal pool.

Reducing Flood Risk

During normal operations, the outlet structure provides water to downstream users and releases are generally less than 100 cubic feet of water per second. One cubic foot of water, or cfs, is equal to 7.5 gallons.  As operations shift to reducing flood risks during periods of high runoff, the outlet structure is used to manage the reservoir elevations and can release up to 10,000 cfs. The spillway was designed to additionally pass up to 17,600 cfs. For perspective, the largest release of water from Cherry Creek Dam as a result of flooding was approximately 560 cfs from the outlet structure in 1965. It is important to understand that the dam is designed to release up to  27,600 cfs when necessary and that this dam-or any other dam-does not eliminate flood risk.

Collapse All Expand All
 Maintaining the Dam

As part of its Dam Safety Program, Omaha District conducts detailed engineering analyses to ensure its dams are reduce risks to the public, property, and the environment to the extent possible. Dam safety standards and practices are continually updated to improve the maintenance and operation of dams to ensure they can reliably serve their original purposes. In addition, dam safety engineers across federal and state agencies share information as they learn about the performance of flood risk reduction structures built over many decades. They now use more precise, modern technologies and apply up-to-date science to reduce flood risk more effectively. Cherry Creek Dam is operating as designed but in the unlikely case of uncontrolled reservoir releases, significant consequences could impact downstream populations, including numerous urban centers in the metropolitan area. 

As a responsible dam owner, USACE completed a Dam Safety Modification Study in 2019 to evaluate opportunities to further reduce risks associated with Cherry Creek Dam. While the study resulted in the decision not to structurally alter the dam itself due to the extremely low likelihood of failure, USACE removed sediment that restricted flow through the spillway to reduce the probability of overtopping. In addition, USACE completed several non-structural actions to further reduce risks. These included updating gages to better monitor the reservoir and drainage basins during extreme runoff events and improving runoff forecast models in coordination with the National Weather Service to accelerate warnings from local emergency management agencies. As an added precaution, the Water Control Manual was modified to allow the staff who operate the dam, in coordination with the State of Colorado, to accelerate the release of stored water to further reduce the risk of overtopping. 

 Visit the National Inventory of Dams to learn more about how dams work and Cherry Creek Dam’s risk assessments.

Cherry Creek Pool Elevations

Cherry Creek Pool Elevations Graphic