News Article

New pump station tower rising on the plains

Old sand and gravel mines see new life as Denver Water reservoirs.

A tower rising on the plains will house a new pump station that will help move water between the South Platte River and five new water storage reservoirs in Adams County.

Giant concrete pumps pour concrete into wooden forms surrounded by flatlands and the mountains in the distance. — Workers place concrete on a new pump station in Adams County. The land behind the construction is the site of the future Hazeltine Reservoir. Photo credit: Denver Water.

Denver Water’s five new reservoirs, collectively known as the North Reservoir Complex, are located south of 120th Avenue and east of the South Platte River at the site of an old sand and gravel mine. They’re part of the utility’s Downstream Reservoir Program, which calls for nine old gravel pits in the area to be remodeled into water storage reservoirs.

The North Reservoir Complex has five reservoirs: the Howe-Haller A, Howe-Haller B, Hazeltine, Dunes and Tanabe.

A map shows the five reservoirs that make up Denver Water's North Reservoir Complex. The South Platte River is to the west, and Highway 85 is to the east. — Denver Water’s five new reservoirs that make up the North Reservoir Complex south of 120th Avenue and east of the South Platte River. Image credit: Denver Water.

Denver Water began storing water in two of the North Reservoir Complex reservoirs, the Dunes and Tanabe, in spring 2018 and in Howe-Haller B Reservoir beginning in fall 2024.

Take a look back: Now that the gravel is gone, in goes the water.

The future Hazeltine Reservoir will begin filling in 2026, and the pump station will be completed in the coming years.

The downstream reservoirs improve Denver Water’s ability to store reusable water supplies and release them later, when needed by downstream water users, part of the utility’s commitment to use water efficiently to ensure a reliable water supply for years to come.

Four construction workers guide a concrete pump into a form, surrounded by rebar. — Workers guiding concrete into place to form the tower that will house the new pump station. Photo credit: Denver Water.

As for the rest of the nine reservoirs, two of them, the Bambei-Walker and Welby reservoirs near Commerce City, which form the South Reservoir Complex, began operation in spring 2009.

And the remaining two reservoirs, known as the Lupton Lakes Complex in Fort Lupton, are expected to be operational sometime after 2030.

Construction site under the setting sun. — The tower under construction for the new Hazeltine pump station seen at sunset in October 2025. Photo credit: Hensel Phelps.