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Goose Pasture Tarn Dam on schedule after first month of construction

The Goose Pasture Tarn Dam is pictured during construction in 2021. Rehabilitation construction will continue until the end of summer 2023.
Photo from the Town of Breckenridge

The Goose Pasture Tarn Dam rehabilitation construction officially started in May and is on schedule to be completed in 2023 as planned.

Breckenridge Public Works Director James Phelps said most of the work taking place throughout 2021 is in preparation for larger aspects of the project, such as taking apart the spillways.

The project currently in the works is getting a 96-inch bypass pipe in place, which will help when it comes time to drain the tarn at the end of July, Phelps said. He added that this will be of use once they take apart the spillways next year to control runoff.



The town of Breckenridge created a website, TownOfBreckenridgeGPTD.com, dedicated to construction updates on the dam rehabilitation. Updates will be posted every two weeks with details on the construction schedule.

According to the website’s May 21 update, construction between May 24 and June 5 has included setting up staging areas to access the job site, finishing the temporary access road via Wagon Road and minor work in the stilling basin on top of the bypass pipe work.



Phelps said the town has also worked to identify properties where water supply could be affected by the project. He said they are working with a contractor that will be able to provide water for those who may need it.

Construction is underway at the Goose Pasture Tarn Dam, as photographed on Friday, June 4, 2021.
Photo by Steven Josephson / sjosephson@summitdaily.com

“If (anyone has) a concern they can contact us, but we can, with pretty good accuracy, let them know if they’re in an area that’s going to be subject to any issues,” Phelps said.

He added that wells have been placed around the reservoir to monitor groundwater. Based on what’s already been observed in these monitoring wells, Phelps said it’s possible that neighboring wells won’t be affected by the project.

“There may not be a direct impact or an influence to people’s wells because … their source of water is in a different area than what’s being influenced by the tarn itself,” Phelps said.

Phelps said there isn’t an exact science to determine whether or not the dam repairs will impact wells, but property owners who could see an impact have been contacted and informed of what to look out for.

Based on current progress, Phelps said the project is on schedule and should continue as planned with little interruptions based on runoff predictions for the rest of the year.

“We’re real optimistic, I’m feeling good about the project and where it’s at right now,” Phelps said.


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