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Friday, 11 April 2008 |
The DARCA workshops this past season were a very integral part in helping to inform and educate board members, superintendents, ditch riders, engineers, and lawyers about Colorado water enterprises. The workshops, taught pro bono by experts in the Colorado water community covered a variety of topics. These experts included ditch company personnel, professors, lawyers, engineers, university personnel and consultants. They were provided to members to enhance efficiency, professionalism, and better run organizations.
DARCA is now planning its 2008-2009 Workshop Series. Please contact us with your topics and preferable locations around the state.
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Wednesday, 02 April 2008 |
The first edition of the DARCA Ditch Company Handbook, published in 2005, was provided to DARCA members to assist them in the operation of their ditch and reservoir companies. A diverse team of Colorado water experts authored the initial publication’s eight articles. In the second edition published last year, 13 new chapters were included, along with revisions of the originals. These articles are generally applied and practical in nature but do include innovative ways of doing business.
DARCA is adding six more articles to the DARCA Ditch Company Handbook this spring. We would like to know what new articles would be of benefit to our membership. Also, if you know of any potential authors please contact us.
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Sunday, 23 March 2008 |
A meeting and participatory workshop, Ditch Hazards Awareness & Safety, will be held Monday, April 14 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Ramada Inn, 752 Horizon Drive in Grand Junction, Colo.
One of the largest ditch companies in Colorado, the Grand Valley Irrigation Company (GVIC) of Grand Junction, will hold this free, public educational workshop focused on safety issues and drowning prevention along and in the service areas of the ditch.
The evening workshop includes the history and workings of GVIC, a session on the legal aspects of safety, and a participatory workshop to create proactive steps to prevent mishaps and drowning. Officials from GVIC, the Ditch and Reservoir Company Alliance, the City of Grand Junction and Mesa 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.
All residents concerned about ditch safety issues are invited to attend this free workshop. Please contact the Grand Valley Irrigation Company at (970) 242-2762 or DARCA at (970) 412-1960 for more details.
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Saturday, 09 February 2008 |
The recently established DARCA GIS/GPS committee met on February 9, 2008 to look into providing GIS/GPS services for its members. Several DARCA ditch companies have been using GIS for planning purposes and in their everyday operations. Some of the ditch companies have been required to map their systems as part of a water management plan. DARCA feels that this type of technology is of extreme value for ditch and reservoir companies; it enables the companies to properly assess their systems for better management and efficiency.
The committee believes that DARCA, its Colorado State University colleagues, and collaborating private consultants would be able to offer state of the art services including personalized training at a very reasonable cost for its members. As a non-profit, DARCA would be in a position to apply for grants that would furnish software and provide funds for creating the ditch company mapping projects.
We are inquiring into your interest in having DARCA provide GIS/GPS services for your company as well as your interest in serving on the GIS/GPS committee. Please contact DARCA by the end of this month with your comments and interest or you may contact Walt Epley at (303) 842-0265. We are looking for a critical mass to make the completion of the mapping projects cost effective. The committee will also be presenting its efforts to the membership at the annual convention in San Luis in February.
If you are unsure as to what GIS/GPS is all about and how it can be used in your operations, please attend the two days of the DARCA GIS classes on March 20-21 at Colorado State University. Please note that we will be using ArcView 9.2 instead of ArcView 3.3. ESRI, the maker of the GIS mapping software, has generously donated training materials including a 180 day license of ArcView 9.2 for all the participants. A detailed explanation of the options available for GIS services and a description of the GIS classes that DARCA is offering are attached.
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