The situation at Two Buttes Reservoir is mixed.
I went east off US287 south of Lamar on Prowers County C/B.5 Road, then south on a road (12 Road?, unmarked in the DeLorme Atlas) that ultimately becomes 29.5(?) and then angles se to 30 Road once one crosses into Baca County.
The reservoir itself is currently relatively full of water (relative to recent years) and has dropped a few feet from the unbelievable 35 foot depth it achieved a few months ago. Yesterday the water supported good numbers of waterfowl, including thousands of American Coots and hundreds of Ruddy Ducks. Small numbers of other common species were present. There was one Western Grebe, a few Eared Grebes, and one Double-crested Cormorant. I understand the res has been stocked for recreational fishing. A good grebe, loon, scoter, gull, swan, etc. certainly seems possible. Yesterday's waterfowl report listing only common species should be tempered by the fact large areas of the northwest part of the reservoir are not viewable due to flooded cottonwoods and other access issues.
The only way to view the res is from the dam road itself looking west, and from access roads north of the dam that go west from the n-s county road (29.5/30 Road) running west of Two Buttes Mountain. Follow signs for the "Boat Ramp". The road over the dam (29.5/30 Road) is open but access to the south side of the res (and ultimately US287 on Baca VV Road) from the south side of the dam is closed. Major earth work is underway south of the dam on both the east and west sides of the dam road to "prepare the spillway for a 10,000-year storm", according to a local DPW officer we talked to the other day.
The road below the dam, formerly accessed from the north side of the dam, is closed indefinitely. Looking down into the area from the dam, it appears the major issue is a small but significant washout of the road just w of the wide parking area that accesses the area known locally as "The Black Hole". Perhaps the road (unviewable from the dam) from the afforementioned parking area east to the private gate is also damaged. Regardless, "no human activity" is allowed below the dam according to the closure sign and there is no indication of when access might be restored. My guess would be several months, if not longer, but who knows?
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
I went east off US287 south of Lamar on Prowers County C/B.5 Road, then south on a road (12 Road?, unmarked in the DeLorme Atlas) that ultimately becomes 29.5(?) and then angles se to 30 Road once one crosses into Baca County.
The reservoir itself is currently relatively full of water (relative to recent years) and has dropped a few feet from the unbelievable 35 foot depth it achieved a few months ago. Yesterday the water supported good numbers of waterfowl, including thousands of American Coots and hundreds of Ruddy Ducks. Small numbers of other common species were present. There was one Western Grebe, a few Eared Grebes, and one Double-crested Cormorant. I understand the res has been stocked for recreational fishing. A good grebe, loon, scoter, gull, swan, etc. certainly seems possible. Yesterday's waterfowl report listing only common species should be tempered by the fact large areas of the northwest part of the reservoir are not viewable due to flooded cottonwoods and other access issues.
The only way to view the res is from the dam road itself looking west, and from access roads north of the dam that go west from the n-s county road (29.5/30 Road) running west of Two Buttes Mountain. Follow signs for the "Boat Ramp". The road over the dam (29.5/30 Road) is open but access to the south side of the res (and ultimately US287 on Baca VV Road) from the south side of the dam is closed. Major earth work is underway south of the dam on both the east and west sides of the dam road to "prepare the spillway for a 10,000-year storm", according to a local DPW officer we talked to the other day.
The road below the dam, formerly accessed from the north side of the dam, is closed indefinitely. Looking down into the area from the dam, it appears the major issue is a small but significant washout of the road just w of the wide parking area that accesses the area known locally as "The Black Hole". Perhaps the road (unviewable from the dam) from the afforementioned parking area east to the private gate is also damaged. Regardless, "no human activity" is allowed below the dam according to the closure sign and there is no indication of when access might be restored. My guess would be several months, if not longer, but who knows?
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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