Economic Analysis of the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources Reservoir Parks | 2020
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In Colorado, 80 percent of the annual precipitation falls on the western slope of the Continental Divide, while about 80 percent of the population lives on the eastern slope. To meet water needs for the State, the Colorado-Big Thompson Project (C-BT) collects and transports water from the west to the east via a 13.1–mile tunnel beneath Rocky Mountain National Park and stores the water in a series of 12 interconnected reservoirs. Water from the C-BT flows to more than 640,000 acres of irrigated farmland on the Front Range and supplies water to more than 900,000 people in northeastern Colorado.
Photo Credit: The Larimer County Department of Natural Resources (LCDNR)
The Larimer County Department of Natural Resources (LCDNR) administers recreation on four of the reservoirs in the interconnected C-BT system–Horsetooth Reservoir, Carter Lake, Flatiron Reservoir, and Pinewood Reservoir. The Bureau of Reclamation, together with affected water authorities and stakeholders, is planning for less water system-wide while attempting to balance the needs of farmers, hydropower facilities, municipalities, industry, and recreational users; water planners are working to ensure that everyone’s water needs are met. This report adds to the dialogue by estimating the spending and associated economic effects of recreation on LCDNR reservoir parks.
In 2018 residents of Larimer County and non-residents alike made one and a half million visits to the County’s reservoir parks. With each trip, dollars spent at grocery stores, restaurants, and hotels go on to support the regional economy in the form of jobs, income, and taxes. These dollars’ ripple throughout the economy as they are respent, creating additional economic effects. This report estimates that spending associated with reservoir park recreation totals $164 million per year and goes on to support $285 million in associated spending within Larimer County. These expenditures also support 3,576 full- and part-time jobs, meaning that that outdoor recreation at the reservoir parks is responsible for just under 2 percent of total employment in the county.
Funding provided by: Larimer County Department of Natural Resources
Suggested Citation: Madsen, T., Mojica, J., Wildish, J. 2020. Recreationand Reservoirs: Economic Analysis of the Larimer County Departmentof Natural Resources Reservoir Parks. Earth Economics. Tacoma, WA.