Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Tour of John Martin Reservoir Dam in southeastern Colorado, Dec. 9th


View of John Martin Reservoir dam, on the Kansas-facing east side.











On Tuesday this week I was fortunate to participate in a tour of John Martin Reservoir (JMR) Dam. I've been working with issues involving that reservoir for 2 years now but have not seen inside the dam before. We got a guided tour from a Corps of Engineers employee and we visited the 3 levels in the dam. The 2 levels that were actually inside the dam are just long corridors with 1 row of lights to help see. Our guide told us a story about when he was working inside the dam and the lights went out and he had to walk about 1/2 a mile in pitch black before he could get out. Now he carries a flashlight, even though emergency lights were installed. The inside of the dam was like an echo chamber and when those loud pumps start running it could really freak you out in the dark!

* Click on the pictures for a larger view *






















The dam was completed in 1948 and it is amazing that most all the equipment like pumps are still original issue. JMR is 60 years old, but the tour guide said that it was built so well that it's only aged about 25 years. I can vouch for that because there was only a trickle of water running in the gutters in the very bottom level of the dam. My favorite part was climbing along the outdoor catwalk level just below the road that goes across the dam. Definitely not a place for those scared of heights! Below is a picture of the west-facing side of the dam, and the bottom picture is the east side of the dam with Lake Hasty below JMR and the Arkansas River heading towards Kansas.