Electra Lake

Electra Lake is a privately owned reservoir in La Plata County Colorado. Owned by Xcel Energy, Electra Lake provides water storage for the Tacoma Hydro Generating Station. The reservoir's maximum capacity is 29800 acre-ft.

History
Electra Lake Dam, also known as Terminal Dam or Cascade #2, is a rockfill structure with a height of 103 ft and a length of 1275 ft at its crest, completed in 1902. The lake was named after Electra, a character in mythology. It has a normal surface area of 1.3 sqmi.

No hydroelectric energy is produced at the dam; water is channeled 18 mi offsite to the Tacoma Hydro Generating Station via a 4400 ft open wooden flume, "one of only two wooden flumes still operating on hydro projects in the United States." The Tacoma powerhouse stands in the Animas River Canyon and is accessible only by the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

Owned and operated by Xcel Energy, the dam was rebuilt in 1980.

Recreation and marinas
The lake is open to the public for fee use during the summer months.