Wolf Mountain dam
Wolf Mountain
Wolf Mountain in Routt County, Colorado, is a privately owned earth dam completed in 1988 primarily for fish and wildlife pond purposes. With a structural height of 47 feet and a length of 310 feet, the dam has a storage capacity of 162 acre-feet and serves multiple functions including fire protection, irrigation, and stock watering. The dam is located on Wolf Creek, with a drainage area of 1 square mile and a maximum discharge capacity of 600 cubic feet per second.
Despite being classified as having low hazard potential and satisfactory condition, Wolf Mountain Dam is regulated by the Colorado Department of Water Resources, with state permitting, inspection, and enforcement in place. The dam features an uncontrolled spillway with a width of 18 feet and has undergone its last inspection in 2014. The risk assessment for the dam is moderate, indicating the need for ongoing monitoring and potential risk management measures to ensure its continued safety and functionality for the surrounding environment and communities.
Dam data reference
Condition Assessment
- Satisfactory
- No existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. Acceptable performance is expected under all loading conditions (static, hydrologic, seismic) in accordance with the minimum applicable state or federal regulatory criteria or tolerable risk guidelines.
- Fair
- No existing dam safety deficiencies are recognized for normal operating conditions. Rare or extreme hydrologic and/or seismic events may result in a dam safety deficiency. Risk may be in the range to take further action.
- Poor
- A dam safety deficiency is recognized for normal operating conditions which may realistically occur. Remedial action is necessary. POOR may also be used when uncertainties exist as to critical analysis parameters which identify a potential dam safety deficiency.
- Unsatisfactory
- A dam safety deficiency is recognized that requires immediate or emergency remedial action for problem resolution.
- Not Rated
- The dam has not been inspected, is not under state or federal jurisdiction, or has been inspected but, for whatever reason, has not been rated.
Hazard Potential Classification
- High
- Dams assigned the high hazard potential classification are those where failure or mis-operation will probably cause loss of human life.
- Significant
- Dams assigned the significant hazard potential classification are those dams where failure or mis-operation results in no probable loss of human life but can cause economic loss, environmental damage, disruption of lifeline facilities, or impact other concerns. Significant hazard potential classification dams are often located in predominantly rural or agricultural areas but could be in areas with population and significant infrastructure.
- Low
- Dams assigned the low hazard potential classification are those where failure or mis-operation results in no probable loss of human life and low economic and/or environmental losses. Losses are principally limited to the owner's property.
- Undetermined
- Dams for which a downstream hazard potential has not been designated or is not provided.
Plan around the weather
Same NOAA / yr.no feed Snoflo's iOS app uses. Watch the precipitation column on the meteogram -- rain on the basin upstream typically lifts inflow 24-72 hours later.
Next 5 days, hour by hour
Temperature line with weather symbols on top, snow + rain accumulation as columns, humidity as a dotted line.
5-day forecast table
Every 3 hours, broken out across temperature, snow, rain, humidity, and wind. Each cell is colour-coded relative to the column min/max.
| Time | Condition | Temp (°F) | Snow (in) | Rain (in) | Humidity (%) | Wind (mps) | Wind dir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading detailed forecast… | |||||||
15-day temperature & precipitation
Daily temperatures, snow, and rain projected over the next two weeks.
Nearby streamflow gauges
USGS streamgauges around Wolf Mountain -- inflows here typically show up in storage 24-72 hours later.
| Streamgauge | Discharge | View |
|---|---|---|
| Elk River Near Milner | 1,670 cfs | → |
| Elkhead Creek Above Long Gulch | 85 cfs | → |
| Yampa River At Steamboat Springs | 1,080 cfs | → |
| Yampa River Above Elkhead Creek Near Hayden | 2,440 cfs | → |
| Fish Cr At Upper Sta Nr Steamboat Springs | 292 cfs | → |
| Elkhead Creek Near Craig | 54 cfs | → |
Make a day of it
Boat launches, lakeside camping, fishing access, and other reservoirs near Wolf Mountain.
Boat launches
- Us 40 Routt County
- Tombstone Nature Trail Routt County
- Pebble Beach Boat Ramp
- Uncompahgre Road Routt County
- Teal Lake Boating Site
- Moffat County
Campgrounds
- Headquarters - Yampa River State Park
- Dry Lake Campground
- Dry Lake
- Hans Peak
- Steamboat Lake State Park
- Sawmill Creek Campground
Fishing spots
Paddle runs
- Pumphouse To Double Bridges
- Lower Fish Creek
- Headwaters Of North, Middle And South Forks To Confluence Of South Fork With Encampment River
- Roaring Fork (West Section Line Sec 28 T9n, R82w); Red Canyon (Nw1/4 Sec 5, T8n, R82w) To East Section Line Sec 34, T9n, R82w
- Wy-Co State Line To Encampment River Wilderness Boundary
- Headwaters (Continental Divide) And Its West Fork (From West Fork Lake) To North Section Line, Sec 21, T12n, R84w
Track Wolf Mountain in the Snoflo app
Save this dam as a favorite and get the local NOAA / yr.no forecast plus regional flow context wherever you are.
About Wolf Mountain
Where does the data for Wolf Mountain come from?
Structural and regulatory data come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' National Inventory of Dams (NID). Weather forecast comes from NOAA / yr.no -- the same feed Snoflo's iOS app uses.
How often is the report updated?
NID structural data refreshes annually as the Corps publishes updated assessments. The weather forecast refreshes throughout the day.
What does the Low hazard rating mean?
The Corps of Engineers' hazard potential classification grades probable consequences if the dam fails: High = probable loss of human life; Significant = no probable loss of human life but possible economic loss / environmental damage; Low = no probable loss of human life, only minor economic / environmental losses. See the Dam Data Reference card above for the full definitions.
What's "% of normal"?
The current storage value compared to the historical average storage on this calendar day. 100% = right on average; values above 100% mean above-normal storage (wet year); values below mean below-normal (dry year or drought).
Can I get alerts when storage crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app. Favorite this dam, set a threshold, and you'll get a push the moment conditions cross.
Other water bodies near here
Snoflo-tracked reservoirs and dams within driving distance of Wolf Mountain.