Rebuilding a Natural Habitat at Windy Gap Reservoir

Tree harvesting is underway at Windy Gap Reservoir as Northern Water continues with the designs for the new Colorado River Connectivity Channel. The Connectivity Channel is an environmental enhancement measure within the Windy Gap Firming Project that will decrease the footprint of Windy Gap Reservoir and reconnect miles of the Upper Colorado and Fraser rivers. By constructing a channel around the reservoir, water, fish and sediment will travel freely between the reconnected rivers, minimizing the dam’s impact on aquatic habitat and species.  

To rebuild the natural habitat, thousands of willows and cottonwood cuttings have been harvested from the site and sent to the CSU Plant Center in Northeastern Colorado to be grown in a nursery throughout the next couple of years. When the channel is complete, the trees will be planted along the channel to help minimize erosion and provide a long-term, natural habitat for aquatic life. 

Construction of the Connectivity Channel is slated to begin this fall.