Building a New Reservoir to Supply 825,000 People with Water!
Welcome to the Chimney Hollow Dam Project, located an hour outside Denver, CO.
Crews from Barnard Construction are working hard to build a 360' tall, $700MM earthen dam to store 90,000 acre-feet of water.
As the population along Colorado's front range has grown, so has its appetite for water. The problem? Most of Colorado's water lies on the other side of the Continental Divide, on the state's western side.
To provide consistent water flow beyond 2050, the Chimney Hollow Reservoir Project aims to dam an existing valley to create a giant bathtub. During the wet season, they can fill the reservoir and draw from it based on demand throughout the year.
Infrastructure projects don't get much more essential than this!
Check out the websites below to learn more about the project or Barnard!
www.northernwater.org/CHRP
www.barnard-inc.com/
Just retired after 45 years as Operating Engineer this video makes me want to come back 😢 😊😊😊
is it as fun as it looks? just big kids playing with big toys?
Thank you for being one of the Operators out of an operating Engineer UNION. 😊 I started in are Local back before everyone of the guys came back home from Alaska Pipeline Job. In the 1970s I loved the different big excavator back then, you know the ONES ( air over Hydraulic control) I did a lot of mainline sewers. I ran the Hoe packs, but I talked with the operator of many different excavators, and boy there was many different control patterns back then. On one we had a big (Poclain) it had 4 levels together with a foot pedal on the base of two of them for foot or hand control like a rubber tired backhoe had, plus two other levers on each side a little higher than the 4 levers. I worked behind a big 1266 old school ( Koehring) The control patterns on that were so interesting, the AIR button on the two big Levers for swing and boom, my biggest sewer job or should say longest was working hoe pack behind a big Bucyrus Erie 350 excavator 😊 man she had power in hard pan. We changed our digging teeth like twice a day. There were all these little AIR hoses going up into the bottom of the two control levers. Myself what I used for the hoe pack was the first old Case 680-C with the terrible Airbrake system. The old girl would lock up the emergency brake if you used the rear wheel a lot to help you single brake steer with back tires. They brought in a new 190 Dynahoe, so I started digging side sewer stubs with her. I Love the Dynahoe so much 😊 in 2003 I bought an old used one. It had close to 8000 hours on meter. I have put hundreds of hours on her just around my property it's my TOY. Other than Hydraulic seals leaking and having to overhaul rear brakes when I bought her. Never have done anything to the old Detroit Diesel (353) she just keeps working for me. Getting back to my UNION work, all the A list guys came back from Alaska, so work thinned out for me I switched to Utilities and ran a small water system then finished my last 15 years ( Road Farming) for a city PWs. I Loved to sewer jobs working in the late 70s For operating Engineers. 😊 I watch this young guy's video and I'm like you miss those big digging jobs.
I know I love those big jobs man / in joy you’re retirement
@rp1645 Thank you rp I worked out of LOCAL 542 PENNSYLVANIA learned on older equipment for my relatives they A Bucyrus Erie 15/30 H hoes air over hydraulic remember cab was opposite of today's cabs also had a HienWarner hoe Cable pans pony motors dozer had to hand crank to tilt blade great memories made me a better OE and when I retired was running dozens and Graders with GPS my how times have changed I loved my job got to meet a lot of great people take care 🙂 😀 👍
@floydwilliams3321 Thank you Floyd
I have a problem with a state that tells the people who own property that they cannot keep their own rain water , because the state is selling the water !
States often make those decisions because they are caring about you and ALSO the people who are not you, something that you don’t do or even have the information to do. There is certainly a lot of government corruption and I’m sure I wouldn’t agree with the way the water was being used (because it probably went to the wealthy) these sorts of programs are far more needed than you’re giving it credit or presenting it as. “My rain water” isn’t a thing, rainwater is a resource, when everyone in the state is relying on it, why do the homes under the rainstorm get to profit off of the poorer people living in dryer plots simply because the people living under the storm were selfish and couldn’t see past their own nose? You should be worried about your state properly using the natural resource to satisfy your needs and ALL your neighbors needs, be upset at how they misuse instead of DEMANDING that you be the one to misuse the resource. Because if we are being truly honest with ourselves, what twisted world do you live in to think you could make equal use of it? It’s very short sighted
Just keep it anyway. We live in the mountains in CO and we collect rainwater. Come and arrest us. The big problem here is Denver/Boulder Front Range gapes dictating things for the mountains. The Denver/Boulder gapers should stay on the Great Plains where they belong. Lowly, city, Great Plains dwellers. Stay out of our mountains.
Now in Toronto, Ontario the foolish voters elected a Socialist Chinese woman who barely speaks English, and already they are pushing a new “ rain tax” so that property owners have to pay for the amount of rain that FALLS FROM THE SKY ONTO THEIR PROPERTY. You know that “ air tax” is very near…
That us weird. Because rain water is used to water lawns and gardens! It goes back into the water table same as it would have.
Watering lawns is a waste of
Those asphalt guys definitely earned their beers on that project.
I think they get ALL the beers 🍻🍻🍺🍻🍻
Those guys are some fast pace ass busters! They go sun up till sun down all summer where I live. 5:30 AM till 10:00 PM, nonstop grind. I take my hat off to those guys.
🚬♨ How many cigarettes per day do they save?
I love to see big ambitious projects being undertaken in the US again. I hope this leads to more projects to help get this country back on track.
liberals to lazy and cry it hurts the animals .
Well don't vote Republican
this isn't for the benefit of us citizens.
This Country is doomed. We've been sold out by our "leaders".
I am happy to see a big project built in America.
Why? I mean, one can be happy, that necessary infrastructure is build. But what has the size to do with that? The size is a condition of the demand, nothing more. If it would fit, ten reservoirs of a tenth of this size would be equally good?
@@SunSailor I think sending water to one location is cheaper and has less environmental impact. I wished they could have added hydro electric generators to the reservoir.
@@SunSailor Size does matter. There are more people than there were when the last big projects were done (Interstate System and Hoover Dam).
Especially since it isn't going to drastically affect any rivers, fish migration, etc.
Agreed
Make this a video series! I'd love to see the progress of this project and the stages of completion
You are shallow and a liar or simply stupid
Did not know there was a dam project going on . Looking forward to more updates.
Would love to see more updates on this project.
Love the civil engineering and well done video. The only problem I have with this project is that it is getting the water from the WEST of the Continental Divide for use by the EAST side. The water (or at least what is left) after being used and treated, will then be released into the Platte/Mississippi River watershed instead of being returned to the dry western half of the US. Since I live in the West, having more water taken from this part of the country will just exacerbate our current water problems. Good for Denver; but bad for Western Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California.
And Mexico
The southern Nevada water authority is illegally buying grazing rights to federal lands in northern Nevada. They've been shut down by courts building water lines to southern Nevada to move northern Nevada ground water to Las Vegas, but they're still scheming.
Wow I also wonder how this will effect the already over burdened Colorado river basin.
Idk. Living in a desert has its drawbacks i guess…
Well. The front range gapes already dictate a lot of the asinine policies tearing this state to shreds. Libtards in Boulder/Denver voting to reintroduce wolves into the high country ranch areas for example. Maybe we should drop a few wolves down at city park and the library in Boulder and see how these c***suc*** like it? Not surprising that theyre now stealing our water as well. There is Colorado. Real Colorado. And then there's Denver/Boulder/Front Range. "Scum" would be too nice of a term for those Great Plains flatland city folk.
I like the fact this project is not damming up an existing ecosystem. Glad we learned our lessons from the 1960s.
Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit. The fucking country is devastated in all extent of the environment . The Good Damned EPA and Federal Technocracy are communist hate toward anything America. I cant even imagine aa Damn being built in Gay Colorado, the land of the Blue horse. They diverted Billions of gallons to the Desert Flood Irrigation farms in Kalipornia.
I live about 30 minutes away from this project, as a civil engineer it is awesome to see such large projects in my backyard!
where is it? I live in FC
Is this south of Denver along the hogback?
@erichouck9487 You live in FC but don't know where Carter lake is?
@@everthic I do know where Carter lake is. I just didn't know this was going on
@@erichouck9487 I'll stop being a prick and agree with you, I didn't know it was going on either, and I'm in Loveland
This is so awesome! Hats off to all the Engineers, Workers, Equipment and Suppliers and the Politicians who all fought to be a part of this great project. It's seriously something to be proud of to be a part of this much needed project. Thanks for sharing. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
The real ones know... Still watched about half of it. Never miss a video its something my dad and i do together im 26. I have multiple channels and have been watching you for years fr. Keep it up 💪, love from Talladega.
I was gonna say, I thought I saw this already.
This project is dam impressive! 😎🤟
Dam right it is!!
Lol
@@TheBirdFlu666 big beavers are good!
@@TheBirdFlu666 Beaver size has increased dramatically over the years. That's why HBO and the like only show bananas but will never show a beaver, unless it's covered with a fake wig.
@@trainnerd3029Go Oregon !😮
This is a very impressive damn project. I have never seen anything like this. Thank you for showing me.
That was fun! Great video of a massive project! 😁
20 seconds in and I'm hooked because of the cinematics. Well done fellers!
What a great project. I especially like the synergy of the quarry inside the reservoir.
You did a really good job putting this together.
I live in Fort Collins and I had no idea!
I’m a Western Colorado native. The eastern slope has been stealing our water since the 1950’s.
you got that right
💯
We bought it back at the start of the 20th century to make irrigated farms in Northern Colorado back when Western Colorado didn't need it. Buy it back if you want it now.
@@edeancozzens3833 bought it cheap before everyone would contest it. Now the population on the front range is blaming farming out west, growing alfalfa on water use. No one looks at how much water is siphoned off thru diversion projects, flows east. Water that never , naturally flowed that way.
So you voted for it?
When I'm out and about, and the bugs start to bother, I will ( or already have) pick a few sage leaves. Simply rub between hands (gloved or bare) and then rub open hands with sage all over exposed skin and hair. Neck, ears, forehead checks etc. Avoid rubbing too near eyes, though I've never noticed any burning\irritating as I apply over closed eyes. I go ahead and rub over clothing as well lastly. Perfect bug repellant and it smells great. Always be polite and thankful when gathering, and do it sparingly, to help maintain abundance. With that said, it's time to light a smudge...
Never thought I would see machines I work on ever day in one of these videos
That's right in my back yard!
Very cool! Thanks for sharing!
Permeable or non-permeable asphalt core? America needs to have huge projects like this all over the country. If we are the best in the world we need to live up to it and not rest on our past success. The rest of the world used to be in the rearview mirror and we've just let off the accelerator. I love seeing projects like this.
I live in Colorado Springs area. The population is enormously growing here. I believe we may have a shortage of water really soon. Do they think to build something like that between Denver and Colorado Springs to satisfy people who live there?
Like the giant tunka truck ❤
Nice to see walo in the us
Please show this to CA, we need another reservoir! Cool project...thanks for sharing.
You need fewer people, lawns and golf courses.
I imagine the price tag is in the billions. Good to see we are doing this kind of work. We need alot of infrastructure improvements in this country
Yup, politics aside I am glad to see that we passed the Infrastructure act in 2022 and got some new money into it. I grew up talking to my neighbor about how he helped build some of the large electrical transmission lines across a handful of states.
Description says $700 million but there will be over runs of course.
@@UnoDos96complete fraudulent bill only 2% was dedicated to infrastructure the rest went to destroying our Energy Sector with phony Green Energy policies and funding those groups ontop of causing the highest inflation we have seen in 40 years.
It would would really surprise me if it was under a billion @blauer2551
Neglected infrastructure has caught up. Thank you previous generations for only caring about profits.
i worked along side barnard construction 12 or 13 years ago back in ny on the gilboa dam. a huge damn for ny city in upstate ny
Thanks again for the great content I love your channel.
I live in Stapleton. I was not aware of this project. Cool to see. We don’t have too many lakes or reservoirs here in Denver, nice to see the additions. Im used to going to seminoe wyoming for the big body of water. All lakes & reservoirs are small here except blue mesa but its a 3 hour drive
Cherry Creek, Chatfield, McClellan, South Platte, Horsetooth,Timnath,Windsor,Lonetree,Welch,Hertha,Dry Creek these are some of the reservoirs close to Denver and quite a few lakes also not mentioned
@@1STGeneral all small bodies of water* biggest body of water is blue mesa but its over a 2 hour drive
@CashMoney5280 I didn't see any mention of size in your original post just lack of reservoirs and lakes. No big deal I moved when California showed up
Building another one near Hartsel in central Colorado. Holding reservoir for Aurora's water.
It must have been a long search for a locale that would be self-sufficient with regard to raw materials, aggregate etc., right there onsite. Kudos to the geologists, hydrologists and engineers responsible. Cheers.
If they we smart they would make it concrete, and hydroelectric...
wow,, very cool,, now come over to california and build a dam here,, we're 30-40 years behind on storage,,
"YOUR 30 TO 40 YEARS BEHIND ON WATER STORAGE"? I THINK THAT MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH CALIFORNIA FLIPPING FROM REPUBLICAN POLITICS TO A DUMOCRAT LEFTISTS AGENDA DURING THE LAST 30 TO 40 YEARS! WHAT A COINCIDENCE!
I love those jobs keep the videos coming man
I built a dam in my creek, it is so much fun opening up the flood gate and letting out the water. It only gets about 3' or so deep so nothing major just cinder block backed with alot of river rock, no concrete.
I was fishing on the Snake River when the Teton Dam failed. We were floating the Snake and didn’t know of the break until we got off the river. Idaho Falls survived, what is down river from this dam
I hope you make it out here to Minnesotas iron range and check out all the cool equipment, history, and landscape we have and the unique challenges and adverse conditions we have within a year like frigid temps snow high temps and rain
DEMOCRAT SHITHOLE RUST BELT. NO OPPORTUNITY
You should definitely go back during different stages of the project and see how it has progressed!!!
Heavy civil and mining jobs are stimulating.
It I’ll be amazing when it’s done and ready to be filled
The music makes it very extreme with the different angles ! 😂 I am trying to imagine having epic music ate work ! Lately I work on commercial sites where radio music isn’t allowed.
Great video and topic
You should come out to PA and look at some of the Anthracite mines
hubs worked for ihc scott on the Thorton Water Project few years ago... fun stuffs
we are currently in Russell on a Solar Farm Project
Wow this was a very great video.vrry informative.cool project too..I'm in construction too, but residential construction.but I've always since a young man enjoyed the big machines and big construction projects like these..still do very much
I'm so glad to see a dam . We need a lot more of them . A dam that size is amazing . The electricity ,and water storage that is going to be produced is going to be so good for those million people. Way better than any stupid windmill.
You wouldn't feel that way, if your home was condemned by eminent domain and stolen.
One of my biggest concerns with moving out west is ample amounts of drinking water for residents and visitors. This will help and make sense.
Incredible
Finally someone with leadership skills for the future of the population
Good video. Thanks for the clear explanation in the beginning.
This is in my parents back yard. Pretty incredible
just wow !!
You and practical engineering need to team up!
Yea so practical engineering can actually explain it better, video was all over the place and confusing
i delivered loads to this place 🙌🏻💪🏼 your welcome people
That was COOL
DAAAMM, that's going to be a nice dam
I cant see the dam from my house but I feel the vibration when they blast and can see the plume of dust!
😢
This was part of a ranch I worked on in the 70s, it was 36,000 acres the owner bought it for $9 an acre in the 30s the upper ranch that went almost to Estes Park was mostly forest service.
Lower the music so we can hear you better
I live right down the road in Golden. I had no clue this was happening.
It's called the Continental Divide.. Not the west or east side of the mountains
It must have been long search for a locale that would be self-sufficient with regard to raw materials, aggregate etc., right there onsite. Kudos to the geologists, hydrologists and engineers responsible. Cheers.
This is crazy I haven't heard of this till now.
I live in Colorado and this is awesome to see
good shit aaron
Great video
Dam nice dam
With 350 foot of water that's 152 psi water pressure now the asphalt core at the bottom is the core wider at the bottom of the dam wall to handle the water pressure
It's Colorado. hope it works and stays up....
I used to bring around 20,000 acre feet of water from the western side of the divide to the eastern side at the headwaters of the Colorado River…not all that far from where this is being built
Perhaps at some point, Colorado can stop stealing water from the Colorado River via Moffat Tunnel. The Colorado River needs all the help it can get - and diverting some of it across the Continental Divide should stop.
I wish you coulldve seen site C in BC while it was being built
Looks like construction is really hard but well done.
The one thing you DON'T talk about is where the water to fill the damn comes from. Yes, it comes from other reservoirs up-stream, but where does THAT water come from. The majority of it comes from the Colorado River headwaters. Some of which is pumped UP-HILL from the Windy Gap Reservoir near Granby. The water is pumped up to Granby Lake and then to Shadow Mountain Reservoir and then into Grand Lake. This is where Northern Water takes the water from Grand Lake and then through a tunnel UNDER Rocky Mountain National Park to the east side where it will then be used to fill the Chimney Hollow Reservoir and other Reservoir. Yes, water that would have normally flowed from The Colorado River Headwaters to Lake Mead and Lake Powell is being diverted to East of the Divide so that people in new communities along the northern end of the Divide and cook, drink and WATER THEIR GRASS!!
Seeing all the Chinese Mega projects, it is good to know the US is still in the game! Looks like an awesome project! Looks expensive!
Very interesting, will you be able to keep us updated on this project; or is there a site camera that will be available for us to watch?
Very cool video
That is a mega project, hats off to the young man commentating
Why is it that “the government” can build dams and private people who want to build ponds are prevented to the point where “the government” is demanding that 100 year old pond dams are demolished?
The plan is to force you to depend on the State.
Probably depends on where you live and what the legal situation is vis a vis water rights.
Is there any concern with or process to prevent chemicals from the asphalt leeching into the water?
👍👍👏👏🇺🇲 Great video. Thanks for your production.
I think they should take some of the dirt and rocks out of the existing lakes and make them deeper if they went in when the lakes are low water level and removed dirt and rocks they could save money just make them deeper! We don't need more lakes we need more water storage.
I’m very impressed with all the thought that went into the project. Bringing water down from the mountains to fill a reservoir is brilliant. Maybe we could do that with Nogales, Az. Turn it into a reservoir. 😂😂😂😂
A big reason why projects like these are so expensive is because America stopped doing them as often. If you stop using your muscles, they atrophy. America has fallen behind many of its peers in engineering projects like this. That's why we had to bring in foreign contractors to build the core. It's a choice of keeping taxes relatively low for corporations and the wealthy and spending so much on the military. Those things cost Trillions per year, in other words, enough to build hundreds of dams, bridges, trains, ship channels, etc per year.
It's called the East slope of the Rocky MT. Or the western slope. you say Denver is on Eastern Slope of Rockies MT.
I can't wait to bass fish here
Cant wait for the Site's Reservior project to start west of Maxwell, CA!
I thought Sites was a power scheme to store solar power.
It’s California….. years of delays and cost overruns have to occur first
Me too, but newsom continues to hamper. He would rather build his choo choo train to nowhere, lining his cronies pockets.
@@MCW1955 the cost are going to be insane “if” they ever build it over Pacheco pass.
Neat project!!!! Did you know that brown fiberglass hard hats are not osha compliant? Also hard hats only have a five year life from the time they are put in service!
You're the most fun person you know, aren't you?
That’s interesting. LCRA in Texas is nearing completion on 90,000 acre foot reservoir. It’s funny they are the same size.
They are building another one near Hartsel Colorado..I pretty sure i too is 90,000.
Interesting project, interesting video. Thanks Why is a barrier wall of asphalt preferred over one of bentonite clay?
Not enough clay available - he explained . . .
This is so bad ass
No pumped hydro? Seems like it could have been a good fit?
You are a very impressive young man. Enjoyed your video. Thx Mike
"let's go check out what it takes to build a dam of this size" - Camera pans to a working screwing a nail into wood. Classic!
Do you have a better way to fasten a concrete form?
You don't screw nails.
As far as the aggregate being used it is a no brainer to have it pulled from the ground on sight. I am guessing that it also increases the volume of the reservoir by some amount if it is coming out of the basin being flooded. The amount of concrete being used and the distance from a source demands on sight manufacturing. I believe this process has been done for most if not all large dam construction.
i remember this video before. last year maybe?
Okay, I'm not going insane, this has been posted before. I wonder if they had to edit something out, hence the reason it was re-uploaded?
Is there a separator to grade the rock from fine to gross.