Four water projects from the San Luis Valley faired well before the Colorado Water Conservation Board on Wednesday as the Board considered 22 funding requests from projects across Colorado...
Two of the requests addressed the rehabilitation of reservoirs, one dealt with improving the stream bank along a portion of the Rio Grande, and one was to help complete reconstruction of a diversion on the Conejos River. Funding for the projects comes from the state's Water Supply Reserve Account, created in 2006 by the Colorado Legislature to fund small water projects or studies that would enhance the state's water supply. Under the legislation, Senate Bill 06-179, each water basin in the state was allocated $1 million from the account to be administered by a roundtable of water interests in the basin, and a statewide account was created. Requests for funding from a basin account or the statewide account must first be approved by the basin's roundtable, then approved by the CWCB. Some requests considered Wednesday asked for money from both accounts...
The Santa Maria Reservoir Company was funded up to $191,700 ($50,000 from the Rio Grande Basin account and $141,700 from the statewide account) to study improvements to Continental Reservoir and an 8.5-mile pipeline and ditch that conveys water to Santa Maria Reservoir. Both reservoirs are managed by the Santa Maria Reservoir Company. Improving Continental Reservoir could allow more water to be stored behind the dam. It is currently limited to 15,000 acre feet. The deteriorated pipeline and ditch limits how much water reached Santa Maria Reservoir, effectively restricting its storage in recent years to around 15,000 acre feet, well below its capacity of 43,000 acre feet...
The Board approved up to $285,000 ($35,000 basin, $250,000 statewide) to help the Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project repair the stream bank along 12 miles of the Rio Grande in Alamosa County. Increased sedimentation in the river has deteriorated water quality and fish habitat. Much of the sediment has come from banks eroding into the river. The project will improve bank stability and restore riparian area...
The Conejos Water Conservancy District received up to $250,000 ($50,000 basin, $200,000 statewide) to replace valves and operators on the dam at Platoro Reservoir, which is key to irrigation in the Valley and storing Rio Grande Compact water...
Funds up to $383,700 were approved for the Manassa Land Irrigation Company to reconstruct a ditch diversion on the Conejos River where it crosses U.S. Highway 285, splitting the river into the main channel and the North Branch. Nearly a century old, the diversion requires frequent maintenance to remove debris, which reduces control of the flow and causes the loss of compact water during high flows. The dysfunctional diversion sometimes threatens to cause the river to overflow, creating a new channel and bypassing the important gauging station at Los Sauces. The money would help re-shape the channel, stabilize the stream bank and replace the diversion's gates. Twelve ditch companies rely on the North Branch diversion and irrigate over 22,000 acres. Return flows from the irrigation contribute to fulfilling Rio Grande Compact obligations.
