DeWeese Reservoir

DeWeese Reservoir is located in northern Custer County, Colorado between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Wet Mountains. The reservoir is owned by the DeWeese-Dye Ditch and Reservoir Company, which uses the water it stores to irrigate agricultural crops around Lincoln Park and Brookside in Fremont County, Colorado.^[4]

DeWeese Reservoir
DeWeese-Dye Reservoir Lake De Weese
Looking west across the reservoir towards the Sangre de Cristo Mountains
DeWeese Reservoir Location in Colorado
Location	Custer County, Colorado
Coordinates	38°12′9″N 105°27′48″W[1]
Type	reservoir
Etymology	Named for Dall DeWeese, who along with C.R.C. Dye incorporated the DeWeese-Dye Ditch and Reservoir Company[2]
Primary inflows	Grape Creek
Primary outflows	Grape Creek
Designation	DeWeese Reservoir State Wildlife Area
Built	1902 (1902)—1903 (1903)
First flooded	1903 (1903)
Water volume	3,542 acre-feet (4,369,000 cubic meters)[3]
Surface elevation	7,671 feet (2,338 meters)[1]
Frozen	Freezes in winter
Website	www.deweeseditch.com

The ditch and reservoir company owns the land under the reservoir and most of the land around it. The company has arrangements with other organizations to store water and for the use of the space. For example, it stores 500 acre-feet (620,000 cubic meters) for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, it stores 500 acre-feet (620,000 cubic meters) for the Bureau of Land Management (which also owns some land near the reservoir), and it stores some water for the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District and the Round Mountain Water District, a local water company.^[3]

State wildlife area

The lake and the land immediately surrounding it are also designated as the DeWeese Reservoir State Wildlife Area. It offers coldwater stream and lake fishing, hunting, and picnicking, hiking, wildlife viewing, and camping.^[5]