Gravel pit reservoirs have been commonly used for water storage along the Colorado Front Range since the early 1990s. These reservoirs are generally created by rehabilitating and lining depleted aggregate-mining pits to produce water storage facilities. Over the authors' careers, we have observed geotechnical aspects of both successful and unsuccessful gravel pit reservoir projects. This paper presents our opinion of the geotechnical state of practice for gravel pit reservoirs, and the lessons learned based on the authors' experience. This paper will discuss: a) geological and geotechnical investigation methods and best practices, b) design, testing, and construction considerations for groundwater barriers, c) maintaining the integrity of the seepage barrier with multiple penetrations of the barrier, d) considerations for stable slope construction with unbalanced groundwater pressures, and e) evaluations and considerations of groundwater impacts.
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