The Seametrics solution for vital reservoir

The Seametrics PT2X Pressure & Level Sensors have provided the perfect solution for ongoing water supply management in Colorado.

Background
The Clinton Gulch Reservoir in Colorado was built between 1974 and 1978 by the Climax Molybdenum Company; in 1992, the reservoir was sold to the Clinton Ditch & Reservoir Company, which includes among its shareholders Summit County, the towns of Breckenridge, Dillon, and Silverthorne, and the Arapahoe Basin, Copper Mountain, Keystone, and Winter Park ski areas. Now, 25 years later, the reservoir has become an increasingly critical resource for business and recreation in the Summit and Grand counties as well as for Lake County and people throughout Colorado.

Reservoir facts
The Reservoir capacity is 5,501,300 cubic meters and its water source is Clinton Creek. The water is retained by a rockfill dam with dimensions of approximately 52 meters high and 457 meters long. The water in the reservoir is used primarily for municipal, irrigation, and snow-making purposes. Clinton Gulch Reservoir provides a reliable source of water supply to local private and government entities in an over-appropriated basin. Also, due to its high location in the basin (at 3,368 meters), releases from the Reservoir for downstream uses help maintain healthy stream flows in Tenmile Creek.

The Seametrics solution
The water levels in the Reservoir have been monitored at its outlet canal using Seametrics’ PT2X Pressure & Level Sensors since 2007. Because the dam is about two-hours drive from the Clinton Ditch & Reservoir Company office, and there is no cell phone coverage at the dam, a phone landline and modem was used to connect to the PT2X sensors to periodically download data needed for water rights reporting and administration. The communication of the equipment has recently been updated to a satellite connection that allows remote operation of the outlet valves.

– Clinton Ditch & Reservoir Company