By Seth Boster | Denver Gazette
Back in 2009, Zac Wiebe was hiking near the foothills of northern Colorado, where today a dam rises close to its final height of 350 feet.
“I recall a sign that actually stated the reservoir could be built as soon as 2009,” Wiebe said.
That would not be the case — not in the face of lengthy permitting and litigation against Chimney Hollow Reservoir, to be a smaller neighbor of Carter Lake and divert Colorado River water for the northern Front Range’s growing populations. In 2021, environmental groups and Northern Water settled a $15 million lawsuit.
Now, Chimney Hollow’s dam is close to complete outside Loveland. Northern Water expects to finish construction and begin filling the reservoir this summer.
And a recently published plan envisions a premier destination.
“Seeing this thing come to fruition is definitely very fulfilling,” said Wiebe, who oversaw the recreation plan for Larimer County’s Department of Natural Resources. “For our community, it’s going to be a great, great asset.”
But “at a great expense,” said Gary Wockner, with Colorado River advocacy group Save the Colorado.
“The lingering concerns are the same exact issues we sued against,” he said, referring to strains on the river and impacts to Grand County.
The result in Larimer County: a reservoir and surrounding 1,847-acre open space that is anticipated to be different from other nearby getaways, including Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake. (The neighboring lake’s surface acres are about 1,100 acres, compared to Chimney Hollow’s expected 760.)
At Chimney Hollow, Wiebe foresees a quieter experience — without the camping and motorized boating allowed elsewhere.
The plan calls for wakeless boating only. Paddleboarders, kayaks and canoes will be served by a concrete ramp and floating dock.