Farr Pumping Plant

 interesting place, 1951_construction, onshore/coastal pumping station

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The Farr Pumping Plant is known as the heart of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project.

Completed in 1951 at a cost of $8.1 million, the plant is the center of operations for Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District's West Slope collection system. The plant pumps water from Lake Granby into Shadow Mountain Reservoir via the Granby Pump Canal.

The reinforced concrete building that houses the plant is 187 feet tall, but nearly 140 feet of it is underground. Its base slab of reinforced concrete is 8 to 9 feet thick.

The plant houses three pumps. Usually, one or two are operated, while the third serves as a standby.

Construction on the Farr Pumping Plant, initially known as the Granby Pumping Plant, began April 6, 1947. The plant was dedicated and the first water pumped July 20, 1951.

Water diversions to the East Slope, diversions from Willow Creek and Windy Gap, and releases from Shadow Mountain Reservoir can be remotely controlled from the Farr Pumping Plant. Power to the plant is generated by water passing through the Estes Park Power Plant turbines. The power is delivered back through the Adams Tunnel to the West Slope via a 69Kv transmission line.

NCWCD assumed the operation and maintenance of the West Slope facilities, including the Farr Pumping Plant, June 1, 1986.

In 1991, the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District embarked on a modernization and automation program. Improvements were made while the plants' pumping schedules continued uninterrupted. NCWCD's West Slope staff tackled the bulk of the modernization work.

The plant was renamed June 18, 1994, to honor the Farr family of Weld County for contributions to natural resource conservation, water development, and agricultural innovations in Colorado. (Source: www.ncwcd.org/project_features/Farr_Pump_Plant.asp )