Distributions Department crews for Northern Water were reminded this spring about the power of rivers to move more than just water.

With repair work required at the Pole Hill Power Plant during months when the Colorado-Big Thompson would be positioning water in Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake, the Bureau of Reclamation delivered water from Lake Estes down the Big Thompson River to the Dille Diversion, where it was directed to Horsetooth Reservoir. Water from the Dille Diversion joins the Hansen Feeder Canal just south of the Big Thompson Siphon over U.S. Highway 34, and from there it flows north to the reservoir.

When Northern Water crews started work to prepare the Hansen Feeder Canal for spring and summer operations, they found excessive sediment in the canal downstream of the Dille diversion inlet, mostly brought there during the winter diversions from the Big Thompson River. According to Distribution Systems Department staff, nearly 1,000 tons of silt were removed during the outage. Remaining sediment and silt in the canal will either be flushed during normal operations or removed later.