The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation began work to determine which of 14 companies will receive the first contract for work at Horsetooth Reservoir. Reclamation officials opened the bids Jan. 23 for phase one of the Horsetooth Modernization. The work includes construction of the filter and buttress at Horsetooth Dam. Of the bids submitted, eight were from Colorado companies, three from Montana, two from Washington state and one from Minnesota. Reclamation must first certify all the bids, determining each company's qualifications and verifying proper bonding, or insurance.
Reclamation expects to award a contract in two to three weeks.
The water level at Horsetooth Reservoir is at 3,536.31 feet above sea level. Down to dead storage in mid November, the reservoir's elevation rises about 6 inches each day. They identified the anomalies as erosion patches and depressions left over from the original excavation. The District got the go ahead Nov. 21 to begin refilling the reservoir. Reclamation built and owns Horsetooth.