Type reservoir Basin countries United States Outflow location Tacoma Generating Station | Primary inflows Water volume 22,000 acre·ft (27 hm) | |
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Primary outflows Tacoma Generating Station | ||
Electra Lake is a privately owned reservoir in La Plata County Colorado. Owned by Xcel Energy, Electra Lake provides water storage for the Tacoma Hydro Generating Station. The reservoir's maximum capacity is 29,800 acre-feet.
Contents
Map of Electra Lake, Colorado 81301, USA
HistoryEdit
Electra Lake Dam, also known as Terminal Dam or Cascade #2, is a rockfill structure with a height of 103 feet and a length of 1275 feet at its crest, completed in 1902. The lake was named after Electra, a character in mythology. It has a normal surface area of 1.3 square miles.
No hydroelectric energy is produced at the dam; water is channeled 18 miles offsite to the Tacoma Hydro Generating Station via a 4400-foot open wooden flume, "one of only two wooden flumes still operating on hydro projects in the United States." The Tacoma powerhouse stands in the Animas River Canyon and is accessible only by the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
Owned and operated by Xcel Energy, the dam was rebuilt in 1980.
Recreation and marinasEdit
The lake is open to the public for fee use during the summer months.