Greening the Valley

Greening the Valley. . Starting in the 1880's, construction of the original irrigation canals and lateral ditches was done by hand using teams of horses and mules. Equipment was simple and crude by today's standards, consisting of horse drawn graders, scrapers and hand labor., An accurate grade had to be surveyed first to assure adequate flow, and then the route was determined based on arable land and ownership. At first, water was routed to fields through ditch systems owned and operated by private irrigation companies., In 1904 the county established Montezuma Valley Irrigation District to replace the private companies, who had struggled to manage water levels in the individual systems and collect on delinquent water bills., In 1920 Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company replaced the District and issued shares to customers that could be sold after a period of non-payment. The company operates a 108-mile system of upgraded canals and ditches today., Topography presented a significant challenge for the early irrigation system builders. Before the invention of steel and concrete culverts and the ability to compact fill material around them, a flume was often used to cross arroyos. A flume is a suspended trough that carries water over the drainage, supported by piers or pillars which keep the water flowing at grade. The McElmo Flume was #6 of 104 flumes in the original 150-mile system, used until 1991 when a pipeline replaced it. Flume #6 carried water through the Highline Canal to the South Montezuma Valley and beginning in 1955 to the Ute Mountain Ute community of Towaoc. To fulfill the promises of the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement of 1986, in 2000 the Dolores Project was constructed and delivered water to the Tribe for its 7,700 acre Tribal Farm and Ranch Enterprise and also for a clean drinking water supply for the first time. As a result of the Dolores Project, Flume #6 was replaced by the Towaoc-Highline Canal, and today serves as reminder of the ingenuity and determination demonstrated by its builders 100 years ago.