# Reservoirs controlling Poudre River flow



## yak1 (Jan 28, 2006)

Don't forget the tunnel that dumps the water in from the Laramie River.


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## RiverWrangler (Oct 14, 2003)

You've got Long Draw, the Laramie Tunnel and a number of reservoirs on Joe Wright. Long Draw and the Tunnel both have accurate gauges. Joe Wright can have inputs from Chambers and Barnes Meadow reservoirs neither of which has a gauge to my knowledge. The outflow of Joe Wright reservoir can be a decent indicator of the flow in the creek during peak flows because a lot of times what they release from Joe Wright at that point of the season they let flow through Chambers.

This late in the season (and really for most of the summer after June) the reason it seems like the only thing that matters is Long Draw, is because well, it usually is the only thing that matters. Sustained flows on the Poudre that keep the narrows at a runnable flow into August almost every year are a result of water leaving Long Draw headed for Greeley and without that input the Poudre would without question have a much shorter season during most years. Rarely do any of the reservoirs on Joe Wright input anything past mid-July and the tunnel generally peters off around then as well.


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