Help Wanted ads for big projects tend to seek, well, big things. 

And when you’re raising the 1950s-era Gross Dam northwest of Denver by, oh, say 131 feet, an effort that will nearly triple the capacity of the reservoir behind it, you’re gonna need some really big equipment. 

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Here is just some of the equipment involved in Denver Water’s Gross Reservoir Expansion Project, which when complete will provide the utility more flexibility to meet future challenges associated with climate change. The project started in spring 2022 and is expected to be complete in 2027. 

Credit for these photos goes to Denver Water and Kiewit Barnard Joint Venture, the primary contractor raising the dam.

Learn more about the Gross Reservoir Expansion Project.

Click on the pictures to make them full-screen.

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CAT773 dump trucks (the CAT is short for Caterpillar, a construction equipment manufacturer) can carry 36 cubic yards (972 cubic feet) of soil and are used on the project to haul dirt and rocks around the construction site.

The red piece of equipment in the center is a Sandvik Dx800 Ranger that is used to drill holes in rock.

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They look small, but the pieces of equipment used on this project are huge.

The wheels on the trucks are 7 feet high, and the trucks can carry 61 tons. The bulldozer, a CAT D10, can push up to 20 tons of dirt and the CAT390 excavator’s shovel can lift 44.2 tons.

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This Sandvik Dx800 Ranger drills holes into rock to properly and safely place small explosives needed to move earth and rock, creating an area where the new, higher section of the raised dam’s foundations will connect with the cliffside.

Learn how this world-class dam project will help protect Denver's water supply against drought, disasters and climate change.

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What’s going on here? Lots of work with specialty equipment designed for big jobs!

In this case, the team is creating a work area to process rocks and soil into something resembling gravel that can be placed around the construction site.

From left, the truck, a CAT773, which stands 13.5 feet high, is being loaded with dirt from the CAT390 excavator’s shovel, while the CAT D8 bulldozer in front moves dirt for the excavator to pick up while also creating a path for the machines.

In the back is a mobile rock crusher, which includes a Powerscreen 1000 Matrax Cone Crusher, a Powerscreen Premiertrak 400X and a Powerscreen Chieftain 2200 Deck, which processes the gravel through multiple stages of crushing and places it into a big pile.

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High above Gross Reservoir a CAT D10 bulldozer moves earth and rock on the hillside above the existing dam, where sections of the new, higher dam will attach to the hillside.

Look closely, there’s a person to the right of the bulldozer.

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Jeff Martin, the program manager for the Gross Reservoir Expansion Project, with a D9R dozer, which stands 12.6 feet high and can move 22 cubic yards (594 cubic feet) of rock and dirt with 405 horsepower.

This dozer is used for site maintenance and pushing around material.

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A CAT773 and CAT745 working at twilight. Trucks used on the project are equipped with lights, as work can continue through the night to make the most of the shorter mountain construction season. 

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A CAT 336F Excavator, capable of reaching up to 38 feet to pick up rocks and dirt, digs from the hillside above the existing Gross Dam, where sections of the new, higher dam foundation will attach to the ground.