Barker Reservoir is a water supply

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

in the Colorado Front Range located near the town of

Nederland, Colorado Nederland (, ) is a statutory town located near Barker Meadow Reservoir in the foothills of southwest Boulder County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census it had a population of 1,445. History Nederland was established in ...

in southwestern Boulder County. Barker Dam, Nederland Colorado

Barker Dam provides water to a downstream hydroelectric power generating facility, and its reservoir provides water to the city of Boulder, Colorado. In 1908, the Central Colorado Power Company began construction of Barker Dam to provide electricity to nearby mining communities and the city of Denver. Completed in 1910, the dam and Barker Reservoir were named for the owner of the land, Mrs.

Hannah Connell Barker Hannah Connell Barker (1844–1918) was an early resident of Boulder, Colorado. Barker was a teacher, civic leader, businesswoman and land developer in an era when industrious women were not commonly recognized for their contributions. Among oth ...

. Mrs. Barker refused to sell the land to the utility but was eventually forced to do so through a process similar to the contemporary legal procedure of

eminent domain Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...

. The dam was constructed by hauling

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

and other materials along a specially constructed spur of the Switzerland Trail narrow-gauge

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

, which went bankrupt and was broken up in 1919. In 2001 the city of Boulder purchased the reservoir, dam, and associated facilities. The city operates the reservoir primarily for municipal water supply and secondarily to generate hydroelectric power. An aqueduct with an inlet just below the dam supplies water to Kossler Reservoir. There is then a 1828 foot drop to a hydroelectric plant near the base of Boulder Canyon, several miles downstream.

References

{{authority control Protected areas of Boulder County, Colorado Reservoirs in Colorado Bodies of water of Boulder County, Colorado