Smith Reservoir (Costilla County, Colorado)

Smith Reservoir is located in Costilla County, Colorado, south of Blanca in the San Luis Valley. The reservoir is owned by the Trinchera Irrigation Company.[2]

Smith Reservoir
Looking across the reservoir towards Blanca Peak
Smith Reservoir is located in Colorado
Smith Reservoir
Smith Reservoir
Location in Colorado
LocationCostilla County, Colorado
Coordinates37°23′34″N 105°31′50″W / 37.39278°N 105.53056°W / 37.39278; -105.53056[1]
Typereservoir
Primary inflowsTrinchera Creek
Sangre de Cristo Creek
Ute Creek
and several other smaller creeks
Primary outflowsTrinchera Creek
Managing agencyTrinchera Irrigation Company[2]
DesignationSmith Reservoir State Wildlife Area
Built1914 (1914)[3]
Water volume14,058 acre⋅ft (17,340,000 m3)[3]
Surface elevation7,716 ft (2,352 m)[1]
FrozenFreezes in winter

The rockfill dam, Smith Dam,[4] was built in 1914 and — according to the National Inventory of Dams — stores 14,058 acre⋅ft (17,340,000 m3) of water.[3] It impounds Trinchera Creek. Sangre de Cristo Creek and several smaller creeks also flow into the reservoir; prior to the reservoir's construction, Sangre de Cristo Creek had its confluence with Trinchera Creek here.

State wildlife area

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The lake and the land immediately surrounding it are also designated as the Smith Reservoir State Wildlife Area. It offers trout fishing, waterfowl hunting, and camping.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Smith Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ a b "The Trinchera Irrigation Company". Archived from the original on 5 August 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ a b c "Smith Dam". National Inventory of Dams. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 2018-07-12. Archived from the original on 2019-09-01. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  4. ^ "Smith Dam". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  5. ^ "Smith Reservoir State Wildlife Area" (PDF). Colorado Parks & Wildlife. 2019-03-05. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
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