DENVER -- The drought could soon have its next victim -- the Antero Reservoir.

The reservoir is located southeast of Fairplay in Park County and is widely regarded as the state's best place to fish for trout. It would be drained as early as next month, according to a Denver Water Board contingency plan.

The water taken from the reservoir would be stored down the South Platte River at Cheesman Reservoir, which is currently only at 32 percent of capacity. The transfer of water from Antero to Cheesman would provide a sufficient source of clean water for Denver's largest treatment plant in the wake of the Hayman Fire, water officials said.

But that move would mean trying to salvage tens of thousands of trout, many of which inevitably die.

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Protecting Cheesman's Water

The plan would be to move those trout to nearby Spinney Reservoir in Aurora.

More than 77,000 fingerling brown trout were stocked in Antero Reservoir on June 29, before the plan to drain it was made public.

Antero Reservoir probably wouldn't be filled again until there is sufficient snowpack and runoff to replenish the entire system.

Denver water officials will announce more details of the plan Wednesday.

The state's record drought has forced officials to take water from places where they have never taken water before. Denver also plans to drain 20,000 to 30,000 acre-feet of water from Elevenmile Reservoir, according to the Denver Post.

More Information:

Denver Water Board's Antero Reservoir
Colorado Department of Wildlife: Fishing Conditions