Surface Water Inflow
Highlights:
The Cherry Creek sub-basin is the largest in the watershed (234,000 acres) and contributes the majority of streamflow into the reservoir. Cottonwood Creek, the next largest source of inflows into the reservoir, has a sub-basin of 9,050 acres, approximately 4% of the total watershed.
Inflows from Cherry Creek upstream of the reservoir are calculated based on the measurements collected from the gauging station CC-9.5 in the stabilized area where the Aurora waterline crosses. Flow from this site is combined with estimated Shop Creek tributary contributions that are adjusted to account for total inflows from Cherry Creek.
The gauging station and monitoring site just upstream of the reservoir on Cottonwood Creek, CT-2 is used to measure the inflow contribution from Cottonwood Creek. These surface water inflows, along with precipitation and groundwater are used to inform the reservoir’s annual water balance calculations.
Proportion of Surface Water Inflow into Cherry Creek Reservoir (5 Year Average)
More CCBWQA streamflow gage station details, including additional sites, can be found on the CCBWQA Stream Logger Data Viewer.
Useful Links
WY 2025 Cherry Creek Discharge at CC-9.5 upstream of Cherry Creek Reservoir
WY 2025 Cottonwood Creek Discharge at CT-2 upstream of Cherry Creek Reservoir
Inflows to Cherry Creek Reservoir are based on the flows from Cottonwood Creek at the gauging station at CT-2 and the flows from Cherry Creek at the gauging station CC-9.5 plus a factor to account for the flows from Shop Creek upstream of the historical monitoring site.