One of the most interesting water stories around is that of the digging of the Grand Ditch (formerly the Grand River Ditch). There is a slight chance that the ditch may be condemned and sold as a result of a lawsuit by the National Park Service against the Water Supply and Storage Company, according to the Rocky Mountain News.
From the article, "Federal authorities sued a Fort Collins water supply company Thursday for damage caused when one of its ditches overflowed in Rocky Mountain National Park three years ago, carving a 167-foot- wide gully, washing away part of a mountainside and closing trails and campsites. Water Supply and Storage Co. is responsible for the damage under a 1907 agreement with the federal government that allowed the company to maintain rights to the Grand River Ditch, the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court states. While the lawsuit does not ask for a specific amount of money, some estimate the cost of the damage is in the millions of dollars...
"According to the lawsuit, the company is responsible for clearing excess snow, ice and debris from the ditch, which starts just outside the park and continues for 14 miles, cutting along the east side of the Never Summer Range. The ditch - which reaches 17 feet wide in some areas - collects snow melt and rain that eventually flow into the Cache LaPoudre River and is used by farmers along the Front Range and Eastern plains. In the spring of 2003, the company started clearing the ditch two weeks later than usual, prompting a park employee to issue a written warning that delays could lead to a breach, the lawsuit states. On May 30 of that year, the ditch breached about two miles south of LaPoudre Pass, causing water to rush over its banks and into the valley below. The water cut a gully 167 feet wide and 60 feet deep, according to the lawsuit. It also damaged forest areas, wetlands, the Lulu Creek and portions of the upper Colorado River. Park officials had to install culverts to drain the water, and repair bridges, trails and campsites...
"If Water Supply and Storage cannot pay for the damage, the lawsuit also asks the court to condemn the Grand River Ditch so it can be sold to recoup costs."
Here's the coverage from the Denver Post. They write, "The canal is of historic value in Colorado because it was one of the first to move mountain water. The canal, which is 17 feet wide and 5 feet deep, begins at 10,280 feet, moving snowmelt from the Never Summer Mountains to the Long Draw Reservoir and eventually into the Cache La Poudre River, where it's transported to users along the Front Range and Eastern Plains."
Here's the coverage from the Fort Collins Coloradoan. They write, "A large portion of the mountainside below the breach was washed to the valley floor by the erosive power of water, rock, mud and vegetation. The breach caused significant damage to an old growth lodgepole and spruce/fir forest, Lulu Creek, the upper Colorado River, and associated wetlands within the park. More than 60,000 cubic yards of sediment flowed into the upper Colorado River and associated wetlands, the Justice Department suit claims. Much of the upper Colorado River watershed within the Rocky Mountain National Park was closed to visitors until water levels receded and damage to trails, bridges, and campsites could be repaired. The complaint asks the court to hold the defendant responsible for all costs and damages, including interest and costs, associated with the breach. In the event that the defendant is unable to pay to restore the damage, the government has also asked the court to condemn the Grand River Ditch so it can be sold to pay such judgment...
Category: Colorado Water
6:20:05 AM 
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