MWH to design Chimney Hollow Reservoir dam

Denver — MWH, now part of Stantec, a global engineering, consulting and construction firm, was awarded an $11.9 million engineering services contract by the Municipal Subdistrict, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, for the Chimney Hollow Reservoir Project, a 90,000-acre-foot reservoir to be located near Loveland, Colo.  MWH will provide detailed design for a 360-foot-tall dam, spillway and outlet works. The Chimney Hollow Reservoir dam will be the largest dam built in Colorado in 50 years.

The Chimney Hollow Reservoir will be located between Loveland and Longmont on the west side of Carter Lake, and will provide much-needed water storage to meet the needs of growing populations across Northern Colorado communities, including Broomfield, Longmont, Loveland, and Greeley.  The Subdistrict estimates that its communities could see a water supply shortage of 64,000 acre feet, or approximately 29 billion gallons, by 2030. In a recent survey, MWH found, nearly half of Americans (48 percent) say not having easy, low-cost access to water is an issue facing U.S. communities.

“With many of our employees based in northern Colorado, we are committed to long-term planning for future water needs that make an impact in our own backyard,” stated Mario Finis, Waterpower and Dams business leader. “Our team of experts will work to deliver high-quality design services to support the Chimney Hollow Reservoir Project and accommodate the increasing population along the Front Range and their communities for years to come.”

The design for the Chimney Hollow Reservoir Project is expected to be completed in 2018, with construction completed in 2021. The engineering services provided by MWH will include evaluating alternatives, final design, and support during bidding.