Homestake Tunnel East Portal, Colorado

Ten miles further down the Continental Divide from Tennessee Pass, the Divide is crossed by the Homestake Tunnel, another water tunnel taking water from the west, to the east. The tunnel is five miles long, and connects Homestake Reservoir to Turquoise Lake. The Homestake Reservoir is fed by the Missouri Tunnel, which is part of the Homestake Collection System, built by the front range cities of Colorado Springs and Aurora, in the 1960s. The tunnel originates through a portal at the bottom of the reservoir. After crossing under the Divide, the Homestake Tunnel emerges from under the mountains into a concrete channel. From there the water continues flowing towards Turquoise Lake, another reservoir, a few hundred yards further away.