Well-traveled Water
Did you know that Colorado Springs is almost a desert? Deserts receive less than ten inches of rain per year. The average precipitation in Colorado Springs is only about 15 inches per year. That’s pretty dry compared to Boston’s annual 44 inches!
With little rainfall and no rivers or large natural lakes in the area, Colorado Springs and the surrounding communities must look to the Colorado mountains for water. Snow falls thickly during winter and spring providing a pristine water supply to front range cities.
To secure clean mountain water, Colorado springs began its development of water collection and storage on Pike’s Peak in 1891. As the region’s population grew, the city purchased water rights from resources deeper in the Colorado mountains. In 1935 the Crystal Dam was built, storing 1.1 billion gallons of Blue River water from the Breckenridge area. The water is pumped through more than 70 miles of pipe to get here.
The reservoirs on Pike’s Peak are open to the public. Visitors and locals alike enjoy fishing and boating from early May to mid-October. Stop in at the Crystal Reservoir Gift Shop for more information.
Marker is on Pikes Peak Toll Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
