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Tuesday, 26 May 2009 |
Greeley Canal No. 3
The Greeley Irrigation Company and the Greeley Canal No. 3 have operated for more than 136 years for the benefit of the GIC shareholders. The canal was originally constructed in 1870 by the Union Colony to divert water from the Cache La Poudre River to beneficial use on the lands around the present-day City of Greeley. Enlargements of the canal with associated additional appropriations of water were made in the period from 1871 to 1873. In 1875, the Union Colony deeded an undivided 3/8ths interest in the canal to the then Town of Greeley and the canal was then owned in joint tenancy by the Union Colony and the Town. On July 15, 1882, the Greeley Irrigation Company was incorporated and on August 3, 1882, the Union Colony quit-claimed its remaining 5/8ths interest in the Greeley Canal No. 3 to the Greeley Irrigation Company. This joint ownership of Greeley Canal No. 3 remains in effect to the present time.
Generally, the canal serves irrigated lands within the City of Greeley and east of the City of Greeley. The canal terminates east of the City of Greeley approximately 12 miles downstream of the river diversion. There are currently 149 shareholders holding 520 shares utilizing water rights up to 193 cubic fee per second (CFS). Historic diversions average approximately 18,600 acre-feet (AF) annually.
In 2006, the Company applied for and was granted a loan from Colorado Water Conservation Board that is being used to implement phased improvements on the canal. The diversion structure at the river is a key improvement identified in the loan application. The Company has also received a Conservation Innovation Grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service that defers some of the costs of canal automation.
The new river diversion consists of two primary radial gates and a slide gate, which is used to sluice sediments that accumulate in front of the radial gates. The gates are controlled by supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) electronics that can be operated from the Company’s office or the City of Greeley Water Dept. A water surface level sensor is located at the State of Colorado gaging station which is downstream from the river diversion and flows can be monitored and recorded.
Facts about the completed river diversion structure:
• Budgeted at $499,000 and ultimately cost approximately $508,900 to build.
• Utilizes 290 cubic yards of reinforced concrete, steel radial gates, and a steel slide gate.
• Remotely actuated by SCADA electronics integrated with other sites on the canal.
• Normally diverts approximately 70 to 90 CFS during the irrigation season.
• Water is used for farm irrigation, park irrigation, and well augmentation.
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Saturday, 02 May 2009 |
The Ditch Project
May 9 to July 8: The Ditch Project at the Library, and Ditch Sculpture in Central Park.
May 15 to June 19: The Ditch Project at the Dairy Three concurrent venues each show different artwork, photo essays and educational material about ditches.
May 10, 2PM: Story telling at the Boulder Public Library Auditorium. Renée Fajardo and the Chimaltonalli Troupe will tell the tale of La Llorona, to warn small children away from irrigation ditches. Explore the myths and story behind La Llorona as she is brought to life in by one of Denver’s foremost professional storytelling, music and dance troupes.
May 15, 5-8PM: Opening Receptions at the Dairy Center for the Arts and Boulder Public Library. Join us for the grand opening of the show at both venues.
May 16, 10AM-5PM: Ditch Symposium at Boulder Public Library Auditorium. Hundreds of miles of irrigation ditch have watered the land and fed the people of Boulder County for 150 years. This piece of local history is caught between the desire for agriculture and the urbanization of our land. Ditches have constructed much of what we now call our “natural” Front Range landscape. Join us to learn about the people who work the ditches, the issues they face, and solutions for the future of these rapidly urbanizing waterways.
May 19, 3:30-6PM: A Walking History Tour of Our Riches of Ditches: Boulder’s irrigation ditches date back to the founding of our town, and are steeped in history and surprising stories! Join the city’s Water Resources Administrator Bob Crifasi for a walking/car-pooling tour of downtown Boulder ditches. This 2-3 hour tour will include headgates, measuring devices, and the grave of an early ditch developer. Learn where Boulder’s first ditches go and how they work. Meet in the parking lot above Eben Fine Park, in the parking spaces along Arapahoe Avenue.
May 21, 7PM: Avant-garde cinema of Water at the Boulder Public Library Auditorium. Join us for a night of films about water, by Stan Brakhage, Peter Greenaway, Rob Steiner, James Davis and J. J Murphy.
May 27, 2-5:30PM: A Bike Tour of Our Riches of Ditches: Celebrate Boulder’s Sesquicentennial on a bike! Join the city’s Water Resources Administrator Bob Crifasi for a fascinating bike tour of South Boulder Creek irrigation ditches. Boulder’s irrigation ditches date back to the founding of Boulder, and are steeped in history and surprising stories! For over a century, these ditches have shaped our town, changed our creeks, and helped feed generations of people. Meet at the City Limits trailhead, on the southeast corner of Highway 93 and Marshall Rd. The bike tour will end at Arapahoe and South Boulder Creek near the Subaru dealership.
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Monday, 20 April 2009 |
When: Friday, April 24, 2009 9 a.m. to 12 noon
Where: Four Mile Community Club Building Corner of East Main & Steinmeier Cañon City, Colorado
Cost: Free
Irrigation ditches have been instrumental in the development of Colorado. For more than 100 years urbanization occurred along ditches and their riparian corridors. They are valuable environmental and aesthetic assets for the community, in addition to their historic importance for local agriculture. For ditch companies, urban growth has produced unforeseen consequences. Questions surround liability involved with open water in a populated environment. Safety issues along the ditch are of utmost concern to everyone.
Fremont County ditch companies will hold a public educational workshop in Cañon City focused on safety issues and drowning prevention along and in the service areas of ditches.
The morning workshop includes a brief contextual statement, a session on the legal aspects of safety, and a participatory workshop to create proactive steps to prevent mishaps and drowning. Representatives from the local ditch companies, and Fremont County will be present to work with people to create plans. Representatives from other ditch and reservoir companies from all over Colorado are encouraged to attend so that they will be able to adopt similar educational workshops for their respective ditch companies.
This project is a collaborative effort with Fremont County ditch companies and DARCA. DARCA can help set up a Ditch Hazards Awareness & Safety Meeting for your ditch company. Please contact DARCA at (970) 412-1960 for details. Contact Mannie Colon at (719) 275-6359.
The Ditch Hazards Awareness & Safety Meeting is sponsored by: the Costilla County Conservancy District, Hix Insurance Associates, Inc. and the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District. |
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Saturday, 31 January 2009 |
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Owners’ Guide to Dam Safety and Maintenance is the pre-convention workshop before the 7th Annual Ditch and Reservoir Alliance Convention in Pueblo, Colorado February 19-20, 2009.
This pre-convention workshop will identify the importance of dam maintenance and monitoring by briefly discussing past dam failures in Colorado and the USA.
This class will discuss often neglected maintenance items that can often lead to costly repairs as well as new maintenance concerns such as the zebra mussel. Standard dam monitoring equipment items such as toe drains, monuments, and piezometers will be discussed in regards to their maintenance and the importance of proper records keeping. The course will explain the State Engineers Office role in the permitting process for new dams and modifications/repairs to existing dams, annual inspections, and overall dam safety. Learn what to expect during a typical dam safety inspection and what the consequences of a fill restriction can be as well as what can be done regarding dam security. We will also briefly touch on the requirements and content of emergency action plans and crisis management.
Learn how to proceed with the enlargement/rehabilitation of an existing dam and what some of the typical barriers are to these types of projects such as threatened and endangered species, Clean Water Act regulations and wetlands/fens. Learn what will be required for submittal to the State Engineers Office to obtain a permit and what funding sources and help may be available of these types of projects.
Lastly we will discuss other liability issues related to operating a reservoir such as the pros and cons of reservoir leases, insurance, and how encroachment and development can affect a reservoir.
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