Colorado Parks and Wildlife owns and operates the largest inventory of dams in the state of Colorado. The water impounded is used for purposes such as downstream irrigation, fisheries management and aquatic operations, and a multitude of recreational activities including fishing, boating and swimming.

CPW manages more than 120 dams across the state and has spent more than $126 million in the last decade for dam safety related work. All of this work helps keep downstream communities safe while providing recreational opportunities in Colorado’s reservoirs and on tailwater fisheries. Without these dams creating reservoirs, the state would have significantly less water-based recreation opportunities, as there are only 11 natural lakes in Colorado greater than 50 surface acres.

In this episode of the Colorado Outdoors Podcast, we chat with Dam Safety Program Manager and Chief Dam Safety Engineer Eric Eisinger as well as Capital Program Manager Margaret Taylor about what it takes to monitor and manage Colorado’s inventory of dams.

Come for the great information, stay for the beaver jokes.