History
The Colorado-Big Thompson Project (C-BT) is one of the largest and most complex natural resource developments undertaken by the Bureau of Reclamation. C-BT stores, regulates and diverts water from the Colorado River west of the Continental Divide to provide supplemental irrigation water for 615,000 acres east of the Rocky Mountains. It supplements the municipal and industrial water supply and provides recreation for more than 1 million residents in Northeastern Colorado. It also produces enough electricity to power nearly 68,000 households.
Pole Hill Powerplant provides supplemental power to Northern Colorado. In 2021, it produced enough energy to power nearly 19,000 homes (203 gigawatt hours). The Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) manages the marketing and distribution of the energy.
Plan
The Pole Hill Powerplant is a single unit with a net head of 815 feet. The unit nameplate generation is 33.25 megawatts. The powerplant forebay has no storage, and generation follows release from Olympus Dam to Olympus Tunnel. When required, flow from the Pole Hill forebay can bypass the powerplant by falling into Little Hell Creek Canyon where it flows until it is re-diverted to the Pole Hill Afterbay. The powerplant discharges water into a small afterbay that diverts water into Rattlesnake Siphon and Tunnel, and then to Pinewood Reservoir.
