Hoosier Tunnel East Portal and Montgomery Reservoir, Colorado

At the south portal of the Hoosier Tunnel, water captured on the western slope of the Continental Divide spills into the Montgomery Reservoir, on the eastern slope, headed to distant cities. The combination area at the north portal of the Hoosier Tunnel, on the west side of the Continental Divide, connects to other tunnels and aqueducts in the Blue River Diversion Project, including the Quandary Tunnel and the McCullough Tunnel, which capture water from the western side of the Blue River watershed. From there the 1.5-mile long, 10-foot diameter Hoosier Tunnel runs under the Divide, flowing by gravity, and opens into a spillway on the southern side. The tunnel was completed in 1951, and the reservoir in 1957. From there the water flows out from under the dam into the Middle Fork of the South Platte River. At the town of Fairplay, water is removed from the river and goes to Colorado Springs via the 30-inch Montgomery Pipeline.