Eagle County Joins Wild Horse Reservoir Permitting Process

Aspen —Eagle County is preparing to engage in the permitting process for Aurora Water’s proposed Wild Horse Reservoir, a project that could alter how local water rights are managed.

An Eagle County spokesperson confirmed in an email to the Vail Daily that officials are currently evaluating the project, which sits in nearby Park County. The county will review National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents and participate as the project moves forward. This engagement comes as Aurora Water weighs whether to divert Homestake Creek water rights for Wild Horse in addition to, or instead of, its controversial Whitney Reservoir project located 14 miles southwest of Red Cliff.

The Wild Horse Reservoir is currently in the planning and pre-permitting phase. The proposal calls for an off-channel dam near Hartsel that would stand 160 feet high and stretch 3,800 feet long. It would cover 1,700 acres — just over half the acreage of Lake Dillon. Water would move in and out entirely via pipelines connected to the existing Otero pipeline and Spinney Mountain Reservoir, meaning no rivers or streams would be blocked.

Aurora Water states that Wild Horse would store up to 90,000 acre-feet of water. This capacity is smaller than Denver Water’s Lake Dillon, which holds 257,304 acre-feet, but larger than Aurora’s existing Homestake Reservoir in Eagle County, which holds 43,500 acre-feet. One acre-foot equals 325,851 gallons.

Crucially, the project does not require new water rights or additional diversions. Aurora owns the water from the Arkansas and Colorado rivers under existing decrees, and Park County groundwater will not be used to fill the reservoir. The city of approximately 400,000 residents east of Denver views Wild Horse as a source for emergency water reserves during severe and prolonged droughts or system emergencies.

Gary Wockner of the water advocacy group Save the Colorado suggested last month that the seemingly stalled Whitney Reservoir proposal in the Homestake Creek Valley might be linked to Wild Horse. Wockner, who describes his group as "litigious" and "combative," has successfully sued to stop Denver Water’s Gross Reservoir expansion and joined the fight over Sweetwater Lake park permitting.

Aurora Water denies there is a direct connection between Whitney and Wild Horse at this stage, though the two projects share similar goals regarding water storage and security. Whitney has conducted test drilling for a dam site on U.S. Forest Service land, while Wild Horse focuses on off-channel storage.

Eagle County’s decision to engage now signals that local officials are watching closely. They anticipate active involvement in the near future as NEPA reviews proceed. The outcome could determine whether Homestake Creek water stays local or supports a larger reservoir further east.

Stand there long enough and you see the tension between immediate local needs and regional emergency reserves. The county isn’t just observing; it’s positioning itself for the next phase of permitting.