In 1997 Copper installed a new water diversion line from Ten Mile Creek to support snowmaking. Prior to this water diversion, Copper used water out of West Ten Mile Creek, which was held in West Lake at the base of the mountain. Ten Mile Creek maintains higher stream flows than does the West Ten Mile and Copper owns water in Clinton Reservoir, which is immediately upstream. If minimum flows become an issue, water can be released from Clinton to maintain minimum flows. In addition to Clinton water storage, we still have water storage in West Lake that can be used to augment any low flow situations that exist.
Water quality is taken very seriously.
Copper has several State certified Stormwater Management and Erosion Control employees working in the base area and on mountain. Water bars, revegetation and vegetative buffers are a few methods used to maintain sediments from reaching our watersheds. Copper Mountain has used this principle during the recent PUD process for village development and the mountain improvement plan. During the PUD process West Ten Mile creek was identified as needing restoration through the village. The first phase of this project was completed the fall of 2000.