Plummeting water levels lead to fish kills at Colorado lake; owners wait for access to water rights

By Dillon Thomas

Click here for updates on this story

    LOVELAND, Colorado (KCNC) — One of the largest lakes in Northern Colorado is experiencing low water levels in the middle of a season when it’s normally almost full.

Lake Loveland, located in the heart of the city of Loveland, has had drastically low levels in recent weeks, as the lake’s ownership group waits for access to spring runoff from the Rocky Mountains.

Lake Loveland may be named after the city; however, it is owned by the Greeley Loveland Irrigation Company, which largely provides water for farming irrigation in Weld County.

CBS News Colorado viewers said they noticed the lake was far lower than normal for this year, many saying they couldn’t help but to notice the hundreds of dead fish peppered along the clay.

“It is kind of sad to see it that way,” said Harrison Bennett, a resident who walks his dog along the lake often. “The water is really low for this time of year. Usually by now, it is really full.”

Many residents, including Bennett, said they were not sure why the water levels were so low of late. And the amount of dead fish in the water and clay only increased that concern.

“I’ve seen a lot of dead fish … It is sad,” Bennett said. “(The cause of the low levels) was a mystery to me. I was wondering that.”

CBS Colorado learned the low levels are the result of the lake having lower priority when it comes to accessing snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains.

While those with the Greeley Loveland Irrigation Company did not return CBS Colorado’s request for interview on this story, a manager for the organization did say they are waiting for several other lakes with higher priority to be filled before they are able to retrieve their access to the water.

CBS Colorado hoped to learn more about what would happen to the fish that were killed, including whether the farmers the lake serves have been impacted by lack of access to fresh water, and what the timeline might be to fill the lake.

Until then, some residents have found ways to still recreate at the property. A man named Jesse, who wished not to share his last name publicly, has used the drying lake bed as a way to play with his grandson. The duo brought remote control trucks to the lake and were using the uneven clay ground as a way to race and jump their remote controlled cars.

“We are out here just having fun with them, jumping the hills and crashing,” Jesse said. “We like that the water is down low.”

The duo burned through two sets of batteries in the last two days, each battery lasting more than three hours on average.

“The only time I have seen it this low is when they were clearing out the sand,” Jesse said.

While the lake’s ownership group continues to wait for access to its water rights, Jesse said he is among those who are OK with the level being low.

“Maybe the fishermen (don’t enjoy it) because they can’t fish. But it doesn’t bother me at all,” Jesse said.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.