Terrace Reservoir, body of water
Terrace Reservoir is a water storage facility in Conejos County, Colorado, built in 1912 to hold water from the river and supply irrigation to farmland in the San Luis Valley. The earthen dam consists of two sections separated by a mountain ridge, with a large pipe directing flow into the Alamosa River.
The dam was built in 1912 as part of early water management efforts to support farming in the dry region. Starting in 2008, conservation teams began modernizing the system, and from 2015 onward, the reservoir actively works to provide water to the river during periods when flows would naturally drop.
The reservoir reflects the agricultural heritage of the San Luis Valley, where water management has shaped community life for generations. Today, the area balances farming needs with wildlife conservation, and visitors can see how people work with the landscape rather than against it.
Visitors age 16 and older need a license or special permit to access the area, which helps manage the land and protect wildlife. Fishing, camping, and nature watching are available throughout the site, but visitors should use durable surfaces for parking and tents, and remove all trash to protect the ground.
Since 2015, the reservoir has returned over 1.55 billion gallons to the Alamosa River, with November seeing dramatic restoration of flow when the river would otherwise run completely dry. This active conservation effort demonstrates how careful water management creates and sustains a living river in an otherwise arid landscape.
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