Type reservoir Surface elevation 2,101 m | Basin countries United States Inflow source Dolores River | |
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Location Montezuma County, Colorado Water volume 381,051 acre·ft (470,019,000 m) Settlements McPhee, Colorado, a ghost town beneath the lake Similar McPhee Recreation Area, Anasazi Heritage Center, San Juan National Forest, Ute Mountain, Aurora Reservoir | ||
McPhee Reservoir is located in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. It was constructed and is operated by the United States Bureau of Reclamation as part of the Dolores Project, and dams the Dolores River to furnish irrigation water for Montezuma and Dolores counties and the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation.
Map of McPhee Reservoir, Colorado, USA
McPhee Reservoir is named for McPhee, Colorado, a company town founded by the New Mexico Lumber Company, that is now submerged under the reservoir. In 1927, the McPhee sawmill produced over half of Colorado's lumber. The town housed up to 1,500 employees. The sawmill closed in 1946.
The lake itself may be accessed from near Dolores, Colorado, by SH 145 and SH 184, and offers various boat-launching facilities, picnic areas, and campgrounds in the McPhee Recreation Area operated by the U.S. Forest Service. The lake fills the lower end of the Dolores Valley, with the dam completed in 1985 across Dolores Canyon.