Eastern Mojave Vegetation	Colorado Trans-Basin Water Transfer
	Tom Schweich

Topics in this Article:
Literature Cited

Gives me a place to save this info and link to those facilities that I have seen.

Other articles:
• Wyoming Transbasin Water Transfer: 10010;

There is an incomplete companion article for trans-basin water transfers in Wyoming.

Literature Cited:
- Coleman, Caitlin, 2014.
- Nettles, Dave, Mark Simpson, and Jen Lever, 2017.
- Schaak, Jerry, and Susan A. Anderson, 2001.
- Winchester, John N., P.E., 2001.

Receiving Basin	Map #	Diversion	Mean AF/Year	First Appropriation	Source Stream(s)
South Platte River Basin	1	Wilson Supply Ditch	2,314	1896	Sand Creek
	2	Deadman Ditch	727	1899	Deadman Creek
	3	Bob Creek Ditch	91	1897	Bob Creek
	4	Columbine Ditch	104	1889	Columbine Creek
	5	Laramie-Poudre Tunnel	14,788	1902	Big Laramie River
	6	Skyline Ditch	4,999	1891	West Branch Laramie River
	7	Cameron Pass Ditch	137	1882	Middle Fork Michigan Creek
	8	Michigan Ditch	2,409	1902	Michigan River
	9	Grand River Ditch	17,462	1890	North Fork Colorado River
	10	Adams Tunnel (Colorado-Big Thompson Project)	216,570	1935	North Fork Colorado River
	11	Moffat Tunnel (includes A.R Gumlick Tunnel)	52,390	1921	Fraser River tribs: Cabin Ck., Elk Ck., Hamilton Ck., Hurd Ck., Jim Ck., Meadow Ck., Ranch Ck., St. Louis Ck. and Vasquez Ck.; Williams Fork River
	12	Berthoud Pass Ditch	664	1902	Fraser River
	13	Straight Creek Tunnel	311	1957	Straight Creek
	14	Vidler Tunnel	518	1893	Peru Creek
	15	Harold D. Roberts Tunnel	58,426	1946	Blue River
	16	Boreas Pass Ditch	117	1937	Indiana Creek
	17	Hoosier Pass Tunnel a.k.a., “Blue River Diversion Project” and “Continental-Hoosier Diversion System.”	8,375	1930	Blue River tribs: Bemrose Ck., Crystal Ck., Hoosier Ck., McCullough Gulch, Monte Cristo Ck., Silver Ck. and Spruce Ck.
Arkansas River Basin	18	Columbine Ditch	1,431	1930	East Fork Eagle River
	19	Ewing Ditch (Burton Ditch)	1,027	1880	Piney Creek
	20	Wurtz Ditch	2,508	1906	Eagle River tribs: Bennett Ck., S. Fork Bennett Ck., Mitchell Ck., S. Fork Mitchell Ck.
	21	Homestake Tunnel	25,286	1952	Homestake Creek and tribs: Fancy Ck., French Ck., E. Fork Homestake Ck., Missouri Ck. and Sopris Ck.
	22	Charles H. Boustead Tunnel Fryingpan-Arkansas Project	52,013	1957	Fryingpan River and tribs: Carter Ck., Chapman Gulch, Cunningham Ck., N. Fork Fryingpan, S. Fork Fryingpan, Granite Ck., Ivanhoe Ck., Lilly Pad Ck., Mormon Ck. and Sawyer Ck.; Roaring Fork River tribs: Hunter Ck., Midway Ck. and No Name Ck.
	23	Busk-Ivanhoe Tunnel	5,108	1952	Fryingpan River
	24	Twin Lakes Tunnel	40,005	1930	Roaring Fork River and tribs: Brooklyn Gulch, Grizzly Ck., Lincoln Ck., Lost Man Ck., New York Ck. and Tabor Ck.; Fryingpan River tribs: Ivanhoe Ck. and Lyle Ck.
	25	Larkspur Ditch	190	1931	Marshall Creek
	26	Hudson Branch Ditch	352	1892	Medano Ck.
	27	Medano Pass Ditch	1,100	1892	Medano Creek
Rio Grande Basin	28	Tarbell Ditch	432	1914	Cochetopa Creek
	29	Tabor Ditch	703	1910	Cebolla Creek
	30	Weminuche Pass Ditch , a.k.a., Raber Lohr Ditch.	1,325	1934	Pine River
	31	Pine River-Weminuche Pass Ditch, a.k.a., Fuchs Ditch.	481	1934	Pine River
	32	Williams Creek-Squaw Pass Ditch	240	1937	Williams Creek
	33	Don La Font Ditch Nos. 1 & 2	191	1940	East Fork Piedra River
	34	Treasure Pass Ditch	214	1922	West Fork San Juan River
	35	San Juan-Chama Project	92,789	n/a	Rio Blanco
Gunnison River Basin	36	Red Mountain Ditch	98	1945	Mineral Creek
	37	Carbon Lake Ditch	256	1954	Mineral Creek
	38	Mineral Point Ditch	96	1956	Burrows Creek
	39	Leon Tunnel	1,373	1900	Middle Fork Leon Creek
Colorado River Basin	40	Divide Highline Feeder Ditch	882	1915	Clear Fork
	41	Sarvis Ditch	760	1911	Service Creek
	42	Stillwater Ditch	2,028	1903	Bear River
	43	Dome Ditch	300	1893	Dome Creek
	44	Redlands Power Canal	502,415	1905	Gunnison River

Literature Cited:
- Holleran, Michael, 2005.

Historic Context for Irrigation and Water Supply Ditches and Canals in Colorado

#1 - Wilson Supply Ditch

Literature Cited:
- United States Geological Society, 1958.

Other articles:
• Forest Road 540: at Wilson Ditch;

Locations: Sand Creek. Sheep Creek. Wilson Ditch.

Location of Wilson Ditch

Diverts water into the Poudre River basin by way of Sheep Creek from Sand Creek in the Laramie River basin.

Wilson Supply ditch diverts water from Deadman Creek, headgate in sec. 26, T. 10 N., R. 75 W., and from Sand Creek, headgate in sec. 14, T. 11 N., R. 75 W., to Sheep Creek (tributary of North Fork Cache la Poudre River) in sec 6, T. 11 N., R. 74 W. (USGS, 1958)

Crosses the northeast side of the Nunn Creek basin. Appears to head in sec. 3 rather than sec. 9.

The inlet in Sand Creek is not visible in aerial imagery available through ArcGIS and GoogleEarth. The imagery with the Larimer County Road Department GIS shows a concrete diversion box. There appears to be a road to and a small structure at the site.

The water diverted from Sand Creek also includes water diverted upstream from Deadman Creek by the Deadman Ditch.

The outlet is a free-flowing arroyo. The width of the eroded arroyo appears to be about 77 feet (estimated from aerial imagery).

#2 - Deadman Ditch

Shown on USGS maps, and listed in the GNIS as, Eaton Ditch.

Other articles:
• Sand Creek Pass Road: at drainage divide;

Locations: Deadman Creek. Eaton Ditch.
Location of Deadman (Eaton) Ditch

Diverts water from Deadman Creek and several other smaller unnamed creeks into Sand Creek. Sand Creek is still in the Laramie River basin. Downstream, the Wilson Supply Ditch diverts this water into Sheep Creek, thence to the Poudre River basin.

The outlet is at a gaging station into a meadow in the headwaters of Sand Creek.

Literature Cited:
- Tait, C. E., 1902.
Description of irrigation work.

The original owners of the Windsor Reservoir are constructing a system of ditches in the mountains, about 47 miles west of their reservoir, which will greatly increase the supply available for storage. In 1902 they had completed and used the Sand Creek or Divide Ditch, which is 1½ miles long and has a capacity of 250 cubic feet per second. It cost $1,500. The ditch diverts water from Sand Creek, a tributary of the Laramie River, and carries it over the divide into Sheep Creek, one of the small tributaries of the North Fork of the Cache la Poudre River. In 1901 the flow of Sand Creek at this point was measured and was found to vary between 6 and 240 cubic feet per second, and it is expected to furnish a good supply for storage in the Windsor Reservoir every year. In 1902, however, the Sand Creek Ditch did not at any time carry over 31 cubic feet per second and the total amount supplied by it was 60,700,000 cubic feet, or an amount equal to one-eighth of the capacity of the Windsor Reservoir. Water was run through the ditch from May 9 to July 10, inclusive, and from July 16 to 23, inclusive.

This supply drawn from the Laramie River will he reinforced by two other ditches, one of which, the Deadman Ditch, has been completed and will be used in 1903. It crosses Deadman Creek, a tributary of the Laramie River, and several other small creeks or draws, catching the flow of all of them and carrying it over the divide to Sand Creek, the water finally being taken by the Sand Creek Ditch. In 1903 the other of these ditches, called the Columbine Ditch, is to be constructed. It is planned to divert the flow of Columbine Creek, a tributary of Sand Creek, and discharge it into the North Fork of the Cache la Poudre River. It is 2½ miles long and the Deadman Ditch is 5 miles long. It is estimated that these two will furnish about the same amount as the Sand Creek Ditch each year. There are no interests on the head waiters of these streams in Colorado, and therefore no objections to these diversions have been made in that State. But Laramie River and Sand Creek flow north into Wyoming, where both arc used for irrigation. This plan of increasing the available amount of water for storage in the reservoirs of the Cache la Poudre Valley at the expense of the irrigation interests in Wyoming has been complained of and a suit is now pending in the United States court.

#3 - Bob Creek Ditch

Literature Cited:
- United States Geological Society, 1958.

Other articles:
• Forest Road 517: at Bob Ck Ditch;

Locations: Nunn Creek Basin.

Unable to find Bob Creek indicated on any current maps.

Location of Bob Creek Ditch

Bob Creek ditch diverts water from tributaries of Laramie River in sec. 9, T. 9 N., R 75 W. to Roaring Creek (tributary of Cache la Poudre River) in sec. 11, T. 9 N., R. 75 W. (USGS, 1958)

Crosses the northeast side of the Nunn Creek basin. Appears to head in sec. 3 rather than sec. 9.

Other articles:
• Forest Road 517: outlet Bob Ck Ditch;

The outlet of the Bob Creek Ditch is as the divide between the Nunn Creek Basin and Roaring Creek.

#4 - Columbine Ditch

Literature Cited:
- United States Geological Society, 1958.

Other articles:
• Forest Road 173: at Columbine Ditch;

Locations: Columbine Ditch.

Location of Columbine Ditch

Columbine ditch diverts water from tributaries of Laramie River in sec. 3, T. 9 N., R. 75 W., to North Fork Cache la Poudre River in sec. 25, T. 10 N., R. 75 W. (USGS, 1958)

#5 - Laramie-Poudre Tunnel

Literature Cited:
- United States Geological Society, 1958.

Other articles:
• Laramie River Road: at Laramie-Poudre Tunnel;
• Colorado State Highway 14: at Laramie-Poudre tunnel;

Locations: Laramie-Poudre Tunnel.

Location of Laramie-Poudre Tunnel, including Rawah and Lower Supply Ditch

The inlet to this tunnel is off of Laramie River Road (County Road 103) near the Tunnel Campground, and the outet is along Colorado Highway 14 at Tunnel Creek.

Laramie-Poudre tunnel diverts water from Laramie River in sec. 7, T. 8 N., R. 75 W., to Cache la Poudre River in sec. 9, T. 8 N., R. 75 W. (USGS, 1958)

Water is diverted from the Laramie River just below the West Branch thereof, and from the Rawah and Lower Supply Ditch which diverts Rawah Creek and possibly a number of smaller creeks along its route to the south. I say “possibly” because I am unable to see diversion structures in aerial imagery.

Water gathering:

Other articles:
• Laramie River Road: at Laramie-Poudre Tunnel;
• Field Notes: 20180619090;
River return gates.

Laramie River:

Other articles:
• Laramie River Road: at Laramie-Poudre Tunnel;
• Field Notes: 20180619090;
Water leaves the headgate enroute to the tunnel portal.
Ditch tender lowering the head gates.

Head gate:

Tunnel portal:

Tunnel:

Tunnel exit:

Other articles:
• Colorado State Highway 14: at Laramie-Poudre tunnel;
• Field Notes: 18 Jun 2018;
Water from Laramie-Poudre Tunnel cascades down Tunnel Creek to the Cache La Poudre River.

Distribution to Cache La Poudre River:

#6 - Skyline Ditch

Skyline Ditch diverts water from the West Branch Laramie River and possibly other small creeks into the north end of Chambers Lake.

Chambers Lake is on Joe Wright Creek, a tributary of the Cache la Poudre River.

Literature Cited:
- United States Geological Society, 1958.

Other articles:
• Laramie River Road: at Skyline Ditch;

Locations: Skyline Ditch.

Location of Skyline Ditch

Skyline ditch diverts water from Laramie River tributaries, headgate in sec. 14, T. * N., R. 76 W., to Chambers Lake (tributary of Cache la Poudre River) in sec. 31, T. 8 N., R. 75 W. (USGS, 1958)

Gathering

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 19 Jun 2018;
Water approaches the end of the Skyline Ditch.

Transport

Other articles:
• Laramie River Road: at Skyline Ditch;
• Field Notes: 19 Jun 2018;

Locations: Chambers Lake.
Gate at the Skyline Ditch road.

Check valve at the entrance of Skyline Ditch into Chambers Lake.

Delivery: to Chambers Lake.

#7 - Cameron Pass Ditch

The Cameron Pass Ditch, constructed in 1882, is on the west side of Cameron Pass. It was constructed twenty before the Michigan Ditch (1902) on the other side of the pass.

Literature Cited:
- United States Geological Society, 1958.

Cameron Pass ditch diverts water from tributaries of Michigan River in sec. 2, T. 6 N., R. 76 W., to Joe Wright Creek in sec. 2, T. 6 N., R. 76 W. (USGS, 1958)

Other articles:
• Colorado State Highway 14: just south of Cameron Pass;
• Field Notes: at Cameron Pass;
South water-gathering ditch of Cameron Pass Ditch

Gathering:

Other articles:
• Colorado State Highway 14: just south of Cameron Pass; just south of Cameron Pass;
• Field Notes: at Cameron Pass;
Water-gathering ditches join and cross under the highway in a culvert.
Cameron Pass Ditch transport ditch

Transport:

Other articles:
• Colorado State Highway 14: at Cameron Pass;
Cameron Pass, Larimer and Jackson Counties, Elevation 10, 276 feet.

Distribution: Water passes through a small gaging station, is joined by water from Michigan Ditch, and then enters Joe Wright Creek.

#8 - Michigan Ditch

Literature Cited:
- United States Geological Society, 1958.

Other articles:
• Colorado State Highway 14: at Cameron Pass; at Joe Wright Reservoir;

Locations: Joe Wright Reservoir. Upper Michigan Ditch.

Location of Michigan Ditch, Jackson County, Colorado

Location of Michigan Ditch.

Michigan ditch diverts water from Michigan River and many small tributaries in secs. 2 and 11 to 15, T. 6 N., R. 76 W., to Joe Wright Creek (tributary of Cache la Poudre River) in sec. 2, T. 6 N., R. 76 W. (USGS, 1958)

Literature Cited:
- Thaemert, R. L., and David K. Thaemert, 2001.

The ditch follows an upward gradient southward from the Pass, intercepting flows from the upper Michigan River and numerous local tributaries. The Ditch and the original Joe Wright Reservoir were constructed by John McNab and William Rist. Construction was done in three stages between 1901 and 1913, to augment water supplies of the Mountain Supply Ditch Company. Following a series of (bankrupted) ownerships, the Ditch became part of the North Poudre Irrigation Company, which owned and operated the ditch until it was acquired by the City of Fort Collins in the early 1970s (Thaemert and Thaemert, 2001)

Literature Cited:
- Thaemert, R. L., and David K. Thaemert, 2001.

The initial water control structures were built of timber; for reasons of available construction season, access, and material availability. The first stage of construction, with a decree date of July 10, 1902, included the three-mile long reach from Cameron Pass to the middle fork of the Michigan River. The open channel in that reach traversed at least one unstable earthslide area and three areas with steep side slopes that presented continual stabilization difficulties. Under the decree of July 9, 1904, the ditch was extended another mile upstream to intercept left-side tributaries. That reach traversed a quarter-mile long area of bare, steep, unstable slope that provided continual challenges for operation and maintenance--especially when summer thunderstorms would result in debris flows into the channel. The on-going quest for trans-basin water resulted in the (conditional) decree of September 9,1910, which involved extension of the ditch for another two miles to intercept Agnes Creek, directly below Lake Agnes. Unstable hillslopes on that upper two-mile reach resulted in the installation of a two-foot diameter wood stave pipeline in the ditch on the upper half (Thaemert and Thaemert, 2001)

Other articles:
• Colorado State Highway 14: at scenic view;
• Field Notes: 19 June 2018;
Michigan Ditch on the slopes of the Nokhu Crags.

The section from the Michigan River to Agnes Creek was added in 1910.

Literature Cited:
- Rush, J., 2016.

One area of the ditch known as “the mudslide” became unusually unstable in 2014. A geotechnical assessment in 2015 showed that a tunnel that would re-route the aqueduct through the mountain in stable rock was the best solution. A 766 foot long tunnel with a curve on a 630 foot radius was begun in June 2016, and completed at the end of September 2016.

Other articles:
• Colorado State Highway 14: at Cameron Pass;
Michigan Ditch approaches Colorado Highway 14.

Water approaches Colorado Highway 14.

Other articles:
• Colorado State Highway 14: at Cameron Pass;
• Field Notes: at Cameron Pass;
The water from Michigan Ditch exits through a gaging station.
Cameron Pass, Larimer and Jackson Counties, Elevation 10, 276 feet.

Water passes under Colorado Highway 15, through a small flume, and joins water from the Cameron Ditch, before joining Joe Wright Creek.

#9 - Grand River Ditch

Other articles:
• Forest Road 156: at La Poudre Pass;

Locations: Grand Ditch.
Location of Grand Ditch

Diverts water from Baker Gulch at the south end, and several other creeks on its northward course through La Poudre Pass into the Cache la Poudre River basin.

#10 - Adams Tunnel (Colorado-Big Thompson Project)

Map of Colorado-Big Thompson Project.

Brochure about Colorado-Big Thompson Project.

Location of Colorado-Big Thompson Project

The Adams Tunnel and its related tunnels, pipelines, and ditches is the largest diversion of water into the South Platte River Basin. Ten reservoirs, about 18 dams and dikes, the Alva B. Adams Tunnel under the Continental Divide, as well as six power plants, make up the project.

Literature Cited:
- Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, 2013.

Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District

www.northernwater.org

Colorado-Big Thompson & Windy Gap Project Statistics

West Slope	Max. Capacity	Active Capacity	Surface Acres	Max. Depth	Shoreline
Grand Lake	68,600 acre feet	n/a	515 acres	265 feet	4.5 miles
Shadow Mountain Reservoir	17,354 acre feet	1,839 acre feet	1,337 acres	37 feet	8.0 miles
Lake Granby	539,758 acre feet	465,568 acre feet	7,260 acres	221 feet	40 miles
Willow Creek Reservoir	10,553 acre feet	3,329 acre feet	303 acres	124 feet	7 miles
Windy Gap Reservoir	445 acre feet	n/a	106 acres	25 feet	1.5 miles
Green Mountain Reservoir	154,645 acre feet	146,779 acre feet	2,130 acres	254 feet	19 miles
East Slope	Max. Capacity	Active Capacity	Surface Acres	Max. Depth	Shoreline
Lake Estes	3,068 acre feet	n/a	185 acres	45 feet	4.0 miles
Mary's Lake	927 acre feet	n/a	42 acres	33 feet	1.0 mile
Pinewood Reservoir	2,181 acre feet	n/a	97 acres	24 feet	3.0 miles
Flatiron Reservoir	760 acre feet	n/a	47 acres	18 feet	2.0 miles
Carter Lake	112,230 acre feet	108,924 acre feet	1,110 acres	180 feet	12 miles
Horsetooth Reservoir	156,735 acre feet	149,732 acre feet	1,900 acres	188 feet	25 miles
Boulder Reservoir	13,270 acre feet	11,970 acre feet	700 acres	28 feet	4.0 miles

Literature Cited:
- Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, 2017.

Other articles:
• US Hwy 40: at Windy Gap Res;

Locations: Windy Gap Reservoir.

Windy Gap Reservoir dam and pumping plant.

Windy Gap Reservoir is a small diversion facility located directly below the confluence of the Colorado and Fraser rivers, about 5 miles (8.0 km) downstream of Granby. Water from the Fraser River, as well as other inflows to the Colorado below Granby Dam, is diverted here and pumped eastwards to Lake Granby.

The existing 445-acre-foot Windy Gap Reservoir was not built for water storage. Instead, it acts as a forebay to pool the water before it enters the Windy Gap Pump Plant and is pumped to Lake Granby.

Other articles:
• County Road 40: at Willow Ck Dam;
• US Highway 34: at Willow Ck Canal;

Locations: Willow Creek Pump Canal. Willow Creek Reservoir.

Willow Creek Reservoir, Willow Creek Pump Canal to a pumping station, then a canal into Rainbow Bay of Lake Granby.

Other articles:
• US Highway 34: at Lk Granby;

Locations: Lake Granby.

Lake Granby is the third largest body of water in Colorado. It was created by the erection of Granby Dam, completed in 1950, as part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Colorado-Big Thompson Project.

Other articles:
• US Highway 34: at Granby Pump Canal;

Locations: Granby Pump Canal. Granby Pumping Plant.

Granby Pumping Plant and Pump Canal.

Other articles:
• US Highway 34: at Shadow Mtn Lk;

Locations: Shadow Mountain Lake.

Shadow Mountain Lake is an artificial lake created by Shadow Mountain Dam. The lake bed was a relatively flat meadow, which accounts for its shallow depth (37 feet). The active pool, amount of water that can be drawn down, is very small because the pool elevation is the same as Grand Lake, making Shadow Mountain Lake essentially a canal to move diverted water to Grand Lake from the Lake Granby Pumping Plant.

Other articles:
• Cairns Street.: at Lakeside;

Locations: Point Park Picnic Area.

The channel between Shadow Mountain Lake and Grand Lake is the former outlet of Grand Lake through a glacial terminal moraine. It now appears to have a headgate. There is public access here, at the Point Park Picnic Area.

Other articles:
• Colorado Highway 278 “West Portal Road”: at Grand Lake;

Locations: Grand Lake.

Grand Lake is Colorado's largest and deepest natural lake. It is located in the headwaters of the Colorado River in Grand County, Colorado. The lake fills a glaciated valley that is dammed in part by glacial till from the Pinedale Glaciation, and is younger than about 12,000 years. Natural tributaries to the lake are the North Inlet and East Inlet, both of which flow out of Rocky Mountain National Park, which surrounds the lake on three sides. Grand Lake was named Spirit Lake by the Ute Tribe because they believed the lake's cold waters to be the dwelling place of departed souls.

(Adams Tunnel overview

Other articles:
• Colorado Highway 278 “West Portal Road”: at Tunnel Access Rd;

Locations: Alva B Adams Tunnel.

Adams Tunnel inlet

Adams Tunnel outlet

Other articles:
• Colorado State Highway 66: East Portal;
• Field Notes: 21 Sep 2019;

Locations: East Portal.
East Portal Surge Basin

East Portal surge basin

Locations: Aspen Creek Siphon.

Aspen Creek siphon.

Locations: Rams Horn Tunnel.

Rams Horn Tunnel

Penstock and powerhouse.

Other articles:
• Marys Lake Road: at MarysLk;

Locations: Marys Lake.

Marys Lake

Locations: Prospect Mountain Tunnel.

Prospect Mountain Tunnel

Power Plant

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 23 Sep 2014;
• US Highway 34: at Lake Estes;

Locations: Lake Estes.
Lake Estes, just east of Estes Park

Lake Estes

Locations: Olympus Tunnel.

Olympus Tunnel

Locations: Pole Hill Tunnel.

Pole Hill Tunnel

Locations: Pole Hill Canal.

Pole Hill Canal

Locations: Pole Hill Power Plant.

Penstock and Pole Hill Power Plant

Surge basin

Locations: Rattlesnake Tunnel.

Rattlesnake Tunnel

Other articles:
• Pole Hill Road: at Pinewood Lk;

Locations: Pinewood Lake.
Item found on GNIS about Pinewood Lake.

Pinewood Lake

Locations: Bald Mountain Tunnel.

Bald Mountain Tunnel

Locations: Flatiron Penstocks.

Flat Iron Penstock

Locations: Flatiron Powerplant.

Flat Iron Power Plant

Other articles:
• Pole Hill Road: at Flatiron Res;

Locations: Flatiron Reservoir.

Flat Iron Reservoir

Pressure Tunnel

Locations: Carter Lake Reservoir.

Carter Lake Reservoir

Horsetooth Supply Canal

Other articles:
• County Road 23: Horsetooth Reservoir;

Locations: Horsetooth Reservoir.

Horsetooth Reservoir

#11 - Moffat Tunnel

Location of Moffat Tunnel and related tunnels and ditches.

The Moffat “System, ” including Moffat Tunnel, six other tunnels, numerous pipelines, and many miles of open ditches, diverts about the 4th-most volume of water among transbasin water diversion projects in Colorado.

Other articles:
• US Hwy 40: at Overlook;

Locations: Moffat Overlook.

The inlet to the Moffat Tunnel can be seen from the location Moffat Overlook, accessible from US Highway 40, or from Winter Park Drive.

Other articles:
• Tolland Road: East Portal;

Locations: East Portal.

The outlet of the Moffat Tunnel is at East Portal, Gilpin County, at the end of County Road 16.

#12 - Berthoud Pass Ditch

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 20 Jun 2018;
• US Hwy 40: at Berthoud Pass;

Locations: Berthoud Pass. BerthoudPassDitch.
The Berthoud Ditch must be underground at this place.

Literature Cited:
- Smith, Jerd, 2019.

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 14 August 2019;

Vandals damage Northglenn Ditch.

#13 - Straight Creek Tunnel

Other articles:
• Interstate 70: at exit;

Locations: Straight Creek.

Straight Creek is found on the west side of the Eisenhower Tunnel. From there it drains southwesternly into the Blue River at Silverthorne. At the Eisenhower Tunnel, which was originally called the Straight Creek Tunnel, Straight Creek is diverted east into Clear Creek.

The Inlet is somewhere just northwest of the west portal of the Eisenhower Tunnel. It is not visible in aerial imagery.

The outlet is somewhere near the east portal of the Eisenhower Tunnel, probably in the Loveland Ski Area. It is not visible in aerial imagery.

#14 - Vidler Tunnel

Literature Cited:
- Winchester, John N., P.E., 2001.

Locations: Vidler Mine. Vidler Tunnel.

The Vidler Tunnel was originally constructed by the Argentine Central Railroad as a better alternative to building railroad tracks over Argentine Pass. It is now used by the City of Golden to divert water to the Clear Creek Basin by way of Leavenworth Creek, from Peru Creek in the Snake Riverm then Blue River basin.

Other articles:
• Peru Creek Road: Vidler Tunnel;
• Field Notes: 28 Jun 2018 at Vidler Tunnel;

Locations: Vidler Collection System.
Portal of the Vidler Tunnel

Water collection system for the Vidler Tunnel.

Portal of the Vidler Tunnel

The inlet to the Vidler Tunnel is in Horseshoe Basin with water gathered from Peru Creek.

Other articles:
• Leavenworth Creek Road: Vidler Tunnel;

The outlet of the Vidler Tunnel is above Leavenworth Creek.

#15 - Harold D. Roberts Tunnel

Literature Cited:
- Blankenbuehler, Paige, 2012.
- Wahlstrom, Ernest E., and V. Q. Hornback, 1962.
- Wahlstrom, Ernest E., Charles S. Robinson, and V. Quentin Hornback, 1981.

Other articles:
• US Highway 285: at Roberts Tunnel;
• Interstate 70: Dillon Reservoir;

Locations: Harold D. Roberts Tunnel.

Location of Harold D. Roberts Tunnel

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 28 Jun 2018;
• U. S. Highway 6: at Roberts Tunnel Access Rd;

Locations: Dillon Reservoir.
Intake facility of Roberts Tunnel.

Dillon Reservoir, Roberts Tunnel intake on distant peninsula.

The intake is at the end of a peninsula in Dillon Reservoir. There is a access road, “Roberts Tunnel Access Road,” but the road appears to be gated in aerial photography,

Other articles:
• US Highway 285: at Roberts Tunnel;

The outlet is on US Highway 285 just upstream of Geneva Creek.

#16 - Boreas Pass Ditch

Other articles:
• Boreas Pass Road: Boreas Pass;

Locations: Boreas Pass.
Section House at Boreas Pass

The Boreas Pass Ditch collects water from Indiana Creek and another nearby unnamed creek and transports it south about 3/4 mile across Boreas Pass. This water joins North Tarryall Creek. At Boreas Pass, the ditch crosses between the road and the C&S section House.

#17 - Hoosier Pass Tunnel

Literature Cited:
- Gronning Engineering Company, 1986.
- Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, 2012.

Other articles:
• CO Highway 9: at Hoosier Pass;

Locations: Bemrose Creek. Blue River. Hoosier Pass. Hoosier Pass Tunnel.

Location of Hoosier Pass Tunnel.

The Hoosier Pass Tunnel crosses the Continental Divide just west of Hoosier Pass. The tunnel runs from an aqueduct near Monte Cristo Creek to the Montgomery Reservoir.

On some maps this appears as the “Blue River Diversion Project” or simply the “Blue River Project.” Winchester (2001) also applies the name “Continental-Hoosier Diversion System” to this system.

It also looks like there is an open ditch that collects the headwaters of Bemrose Creek and carries it over the top of Hoosier Pass.

Other articles:
• CO Highway 9: 42000;
• Forest Road 225: 40000;

Locations: Crystal Creek. Spruce Creek.

Spruce Creek and its northern tributary are the northernmost creeks diverted into the Hoosier Pass Tunnel.

Locations: McCullough Tunnel.

Water is transported to McCullough Gulch from Spruce Creek and its tributary through the McCullough Tunnel.

Other articles:
• CO Highway 9: at McCullough Gl;

Locations: McCullough Gulch. Quandary Creek.

The creek in McCullough Gulch is called Quandary Creek. I assume that water is diverted from Quandary Creek, but I have not been able to confirm it.

Locations: Quandary Tunnel.

The Quandary Tunnel, which passes under the ridge mounted by Quandary Peak, carries diverted water from the McCulloch Gulch into the valley of Monte Cristo Creek.

Siphon across Monte Cristo Creek.

Locations: Hoosier Pass Tunnel.

Hoosier Pass Tunnel transports water from the valley of Monte Cristo Creek, under the Continental Divide, to Montgomery Reservoir.

Other articles:
• CO Highway 9: at cty rd 4;

Locations: Montgomery Reservoir.

Montgomery Reservoir sits on the Middle Fork of the South Platte River and receives the water from the Hoosier Pass Tunnel.

Other articles:
• CO Highway 9: at Hoosier Pass;

Locations: Bemrose Creek.

There is also a ditch on the east side of Hoosier Pass that collects water from the upper parts of Bemrose Creek and delivers it to Hoosier Pass. There, it crosses under Colorado Highway 9. This ditch is quite visible in aerial photography.

Less prominent is a ditch on the west side, that diverts water from a small creek draining from Crystal Lake and carries it about 1 1/2 miles southeast to Hoosier Pass.

Literature Cited:
- Winchester, John N., P.E., 2001.

Winchester (2001) says this about these two ditches:

East Hoosier and West Hoosier Ditches: The Hoosier Ditches were the first recorded transmountain diversion constructed in Colorado, and were used to provide supplemental water for hydro-mining near Fairplay. The ditches divert water from the headwaters of the Blue River into the Middle Fork of the South Platte River. The east East Hoosier Ditch is 1.8 miles long, while the west East Hoosier Ditch is 1.3 miles long. Hoosier Pass, the lowest point on the diversions, is at an elevation of 11,540 feet. The East Hoosier Ditch is decreed for a total of 60 cubic feet per second, and the West Hoosier Ditch is decreed for 17 cubic feet per second, both with an appropriation date of August 5, 1929. The City of Colorado Springs obtained the rights to the Hoosier ditches and now diverts the water through the Hoosier Pass Tunnel as part of the Continental-Hoosier Diversion System (Radosevich, 1976, as cited in Winchester, 2001).

#18 - Columbine Ditch

Literature Cited:
- Emery, Erin, 1998.

In the 1950s, the Pueblo water board bought the Columbine Ditch, the Ewing Placer Ditch and Clear Creek Dam and Reservoir near Leadville - assets now integral to delivering water to Pueblo.
The purchase of the Columbine Ditch, for example, provides a glimpse into the kind of shrewd business decisions the board made four decades ago.
In 1953, the board paid the estate of Angelina S. Carlton $15,000 for the ditch, located 13 miles north of Leadville at the top of Fremont Pass. Two miles long and 3 to 5 feet deep, the ditch was built in 1931 to divert water to farmers along the upper Arkansas River.
Pueblo enhanced the ditch, which now channels an average of 1,770 acre-feet of water per year into Chalk Creek, from where it flows into the Arkansas River near the Cyprus Amax Minerals Co. molybdenum mine north of Leadville.
The ditch is now worth $10 million (Emery, 1998)

Other articles:
• CO Highway 91: at FR 134;

Locations: Columbine Ditch.
Water diversions to Arkansas River from Eagle River.

Columbine Ditch collects the headwaters of the East Fork of the Eagle River and delivers them into Chalk Creek, a tributary of the East Fork of the Arkansas River.

#19 - Ewing Ditch

A number of maps and sources refer to this ditch as Ewing Ditch. Only the GNIS is persistent in calling it the Burton Ditch.

Literature Cited:
- Sumner, H. A., 1896.

Name of Ditch or Canal: Ewing Ditch
Name of Appropriator: Arthur G. Ewing
Source of Appropriation: Alfalfa run
Grade, feet per mile: 20.00
Capacity claimed, in second-feet: 2.00
Date of appropriation: March 1, 1892
Date of filing in office of State Engineer: June 18, 1896.
(Sumner, H. A. 1896, pg. 222)

Literature Cited:
- Emery, Erin, 1998.

In 1955, the [Pueblo water] board bought the Ewing Placer Ditch and the Clear Creek Dam, a storage right for thousands of acre-feet of water. The price: $2.7 million. Today, the Ewing Ditch's water rights alone are worth $6.5 million. The ditch diverts snowmelt from a 5-square-mile area in the upper reaches of Piney Gulch, a tributary of the upper Eagle River on the Western Slope. The runoff is diverted across the Continental Divide at Tennessee Pass and empties into East Tennessee Creek, which joins the Arkansas River north of Leadville. Each spring, a crew from Pueblo goes to Leadville to remove snow from the ditches. Sometimes, the ditches are buried under 15 feet of snow. If the snow isn't removed, Pueblo loses out on thousands of gallons of water. The water ends up at the water treatment plant on Pueblo's west side (Emery, 1998).

Other articles:
• US Highway 24: at FR 101;

Locations: Burton Ditch.

Burton Ditch collects water from Piney Gulch and delivers it to Tennessee Creek.

Other articles:
• Forest Road 101: at Burton Ditch;
• Field Notes: 25 Jul 2018;
Water from the Burton Ditch flows into the Arkansas River basin.
Burton Ditch gaging station at the continental divide.

At Continental Divide

#20 - Wurtz Ditch

Locations: Wurts Ditch.

Collects water from Yoder Gulch, Bennett Gulch, and Mitchell Creek and delivers it to an unnamed tributary of Tennessee Creek, ultimately to the Arkansas River.

Locations: Wurts Ditch.

The Wurtz Ditch delivers water to an unnamed tributary of West Tennessee Creek through a small unnamed pass across the continental divide.

Yoder Gulch

Rule Gulch

Bennett Gulch

Mitchell Creek

Other articles:
• Forest Road 705: 80000;
• Field Notes: 25 Jul 2018;
Water in the Wurtz Ditch crosses the contenental Divide.

Cross continental divide.

Other articles:
• Field Notes: 25 Jul 2018;
Water enters the Arkansas River basin from the Wurtz Ditch.

Into the Arkansas River Basin.

#21 - Homestake Tunnel

Literature Cited:
- Gronning Engineering Company, 1986.

The Homestake Diversion System gathers water from several creeks tributary to Homestake Creek, and Homestake Creek itself, storing it temporarily in Homestake Reservoir, then transporting it through the Homestake Tunnel to Turquoise Lake in the Arkansas River basin. This sytem includes the Missouri Tunnel to move water to Homestake Reservoir.

The USGS refers to this as the “Homestake Water Collections and Storage System” … conceived by the City of Aurora in the late 1950's as a dependable source of raw water. It was constructed (1963-1967) and is jointly operated by the Cities of Aurora and Colorado Springs which share equally in the costs and water yield. The system consists of a series of collection and diversion structures in the headwaters of the Eagle River, the Homestake Reservoir, the Homestake Tunnel and the Otero Pump Station and Pipeline. The Homestake Project also makes use of facilities constructed by the federal government as part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Frying Pan-Arkansas Project. Like most Colorado water projects, the yield is very seasonal-- as 97 percent of the water arrives in the months of May through July. System storage is the key factor that makes these projects feasible. The total system utilizes 72,882 acre-feet of storage space including 42,882 acre-feet in Homestake Reservoir and 30,000 acre-feet in Turquoise Reservoir.

Other articles:
• Forest Road 703: Homestake Reservoir;

Locations: Homestake Tunnel.

Intake of Homestake Tunnel in Homestake Reservoir.

Other articles:
• County Road 9: at FR 106;

Locations: Homestake Tunnel. Turquoise Lake.

The outlet of the Homestake Tunnel is in Lake Fork just above Turquoise Lake. Water is stored in Turquoise Lake until released into the Arkansas River through the Sugarloaf Dam.

Other articles:
• Forest Road 309: at FR/CR 311;
• Forest Road 311: at FR 309;
• Field Notes: 5 Aug 2019;
• US Highway 24: at Otero Pump;
• US Highway 285: at Trout Creek Pass;

Locations: Trout Creek Pass.

Otero Pump Station and Pipeline

The Otero Pump Station was built as part of the original Homestake Project and was completed in 1967. It lifts water from the Arkansas River against 575 feet of vertical head to deliver it to the South Platte River Basin over Trout Creek Pass. The Pump Station has a capacity of 104 MGD or 161 cfs. The Cities of Aurora and Colorado Springs share equally in the costs and the water. The 12 mile long pipeline is 66" in diameter. Aurora's water is delivered to the Homestake Channel (an otherwise unnamed small creek bed) which delivers the water to Spinney Mountain Reservoir in South Park for storage. Colorado Springs' water is delivered via about 11 miles of the continuing pipeline to Rampart Reservoir. Maps also show a short aqueduct connecting to Elevenmile Canyon Reservoir also on the South Platte.

#22 - Charles H. Boustead Tunnel

Literature Cited:
- Gronning Engineering Company, 1986.
- U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, 2018.

The Fryingpan-Arkansas Project is a multipurpose transmountain, transbasin water diversion and delivery project in Colorado. It makes possible an average annual diversion of 69,200 acre-feet of surplus water from the Fryingpan River and other tributaries Water diverted from the western slope, together with available water supplies in the Arkansas River Basin, provides an average annual water supply of 80,400 acre-feet for both municipal/domestic use and the supplemental irrigation of 280,600 acres in the The project also includes one powerplant with a generating capacity of 200 megawatts (USBR, 2018).

The facility that transfers the water to the east slope from the west slope is the Charles H. Boustead Tunnel, named for the first general manager of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, who died in 1966, shortly after work on the tunnel began.

The project also includes a number of facilities, such as the Mt. Elbert Powerplant, which are not discussed here because they do not contribute directly to transbasin water transfers.

Literature Cited:
- Rogers, Jedediah S., 2006.
- U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, 1968.

Other articles:
• Forest Road 505: at tunnel;

Locations: Fryingpan-Arkansas North Side Collection System.

Fryingpan-Arkansas North Side Collection

Water collection and diversion facilities of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project

The North Side Collection System is designed to divert, collect, and transport an average of 18,400 acre-feet of water annually through facilities on Mormon, Carter, Ivanhoe, Granite, Lily Pad, North Cunningham, Middle Cunningham, and South Cunningham Creeks. The features of the North Side Collection System included Carter, Mormon, Cunningham, and Nast tunnels (Rogers, 2006), and the Granite Siphon. Only the Nast Tunnel and part of the Granite Siphon are shown on commonly available maps, such as the USGS Topographic Quadrangles. However, an “Advance Notice” document to potential bidders on the North Side Collection System (USBR, 1968) showed the potential location of all the north side facilities.

Locations: Carter Creek. Carter Lake. Mormon Creek. North Fork Fryingpan River. Savage Lakes.

Carter Tunnel

The Carter Tunnel captures water in Carter Creek on steep slopes below Carter Lake. This water is transferred a little over a mile to the southeast to Mormon Creek. Along the way, water from the upper reaches of the North Fork Fryingpan River draining Savage Lakes is captured. At Mormon Creek, the water is added to that creek and then transferred to Cunningham Creek by way of the Mormon Tunnel.

Locations: Mormon Creek.

Mormon Tunnel

Water from Mormon Creek and that delivered by the Carter Tunnel are transported by way of the Mormon Tunnel to Cunningham Creek.

Locations: Cunningham Creek. Middle Cunningham Creek.

Cunningham Tunnel

Water collected from the Mormon Tunnel, Cunningham Creek and Middle Cunningham Creek are transported south to Ivanhoe Creek. South Cunningham Creek is not tapped.

Literature Cited:
- U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, 2018.

Locations: Granite Adit. Granite Creek. Ivanhoe Creek.

Nast Tunnel

Water from the Cunningham Tunnel and Ivanhoe Creek are transported southeast to the entrance of the Boustead Tunnel. Along the way, water from Granite Creek is added by the Granite Siphon and Adit.

In some documents, this tunnel is called the Ivanhoe Tunnel (USBR, 1968). I assume this was changed to the Nast Tunnel to avoid conflicts with the Busk-Ivanhoe Tunnel.

Locations: Granite Adit. Granite Creek.

Granite Siphon

The Granite Siphon brings water from Granite Creek across the valley of the Fryingpan River, and deposits it in the Nast Tunnel by way of the Granite Adit. Access is by a very narrow cherry-stem into the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness.

Literature Cited:
- Rogers, Jedediah S., 2006.

Fryingpan-Arkansas South Side Collection

the South Side Collection System gathers water from Hunter, Midway and No Name Creeks just above the Roaring Fork River Basin and from th e southern tributaries of the Fryingpan River. Hunter, Chapman, and South Fork tunnels channel South Side water to where it meets with diverted water from the North Side Collection System on Marten Creek (Rogers,2006).

Locations: No Name Creek.

Hunter Tunnel, Segment 3

Water is collected by a head gate in No Name Creek and sent by tunnel to Chapman Gulch by a continuous tunnel generally known as the Hunter Tunnel.

Locations: Midway Creek.

Hunter Tunnel, Segment 2

Water from Midway Creek is added to that from No Name Creek and forwarded on to the northeast.

Locations: Hunter Creek.

Hunter Tunnel

Water from Hunter Creek is added to that from No Name and Midway Creeks, and forwarded on to the Chapman Diversion Facility and Tunnel.

Locations: Chapman Gulch. Sawyer Creek. Sawyer Creek Conduit.

Chapman Tunnel

Water from the Hunter Tunnel is augmented with water from Chapman Gulch and Sawyer Creek, then sent southeast through the Chapman Tunnel to the South Fork Fryingpan River.

Locations: South Fork Fryingpan River.

South Fork Tunnel

The South Fork Tunnel gathers water from the South Fork Fryingpan River, and water from the Chapman Tunnel, and sends it east to the Boustead Tunnel.

Other articles:
• Forest Road 505: at tunnel;

Locations: Charles H. Boustead Tunnel. Fryingpan River. Marten Creek.

Charles H. Boustead Tunnel

Called the Divide Tunnel in original project drawings.

Receives water from the Nast Tunnel and the South Fork Tunnel, diverts water from the Fryingpan River and Marten Creek, and sends it a little north of east toTurquoise Lake.

#23 - Busk-Ivanhoe Tunnel

Literature Cited:
- Gardner-Smith, Brent, 2015.

Other articles:
• County Road 4: 10001;
• County Road 9: at Busk Ck;
• Frying Pan Road: 14000;

Locations: Busk Creek. Ivanhoe Lake. Ivanhoe Tunnel. Lyle Creek.

Water collection and diversion system of the Busk-Ivanhoe Tunnel.

The Busk-Ivanhoe Tunnel gathers water from Lyle Creek, two unnamed creeks on the south side of Ivanhoe Creek, and the slopes around Ivanhoe Lake. This water is sent through the Busk-Ivanhoe Tunnel and deposited in Busk Creek, thence to Turquoise Lake.

#24 - Twin Lakes Tunnel

Literature Cited:
- Gronning Engineering Company, 1986.

Other articles:
• CO-82: at Lost Man Ck;

Locations: Grizzly Reservoir. Lost Man Creek. Roaring Fork River.

The Twin Lakes Tunnel gathers water from the Roaring Fork River and Lost Man Creek to the north. On the south, water is gathered from New York Creek, Brooklyn Gulch and Tabor Creek, plus Lincoln Creek. The water is accumulated in Grizzly Reservoir and then transported east through the Twin Lakes Reservoir Tunnel to the North Fork Lake Creek at Graham Gulch above Twin Lake Reservoir. .

Other articles:
• CO-82: at Graham Gl;
• Field Notes: 24 Jul 2018;

Locations: Graham Gulch.
Outlet of Twin Lakes Tunnel.

The outlet of the Twin Lakes Tunnel is in Graham Gulch.

#25 - Larkspur Ditch

Other articles:
• Marshall Pass Road: at Marshall Pass;

Locations: Harry Creek. Marshall Pass. Poncha Creek.

Larkspur Ditch collects water from the head of Harry Creek and diverts it generally south over Marshall Pass to Poncha Creek in the Arkansas River basin.

Literature Cited:
- WikiPedia, 2022a.

Locations: Marshall Pass.

The WikiPedia article about Marshall Pass, Colorado discusses water diversion by the Larkspur Ditch.

#26 - Hudson Branch Ditch

Locations: Hudson Ditch.
Location of two cross-basin transfers near Medano Pass, Saguache County, Colorado

The Hudson Branch Ditch takes water from the Hudson Branch of Medanos Creek and a small unnamed tributary and delivers it across the ridge into a small tributary of Muddy Creek, Heurfano County.

#27 - Medano Pass Ditch

Locations: Medano Ditch.
Location of two cross-basin transfers near Medano Pass, Saguache County, Colorado

The Medano Pass Ditch gathers water from Medano Creek and the lower porion of the Hudson Branch of Medano Creek, and delivers it into a small tributary of Middle Bruff Creek, Huerfano County.

#28 - Tarbell Ditch

Locations: Lake Fork Cochetopa Creek. Lake Fork Saguache Creek.

The Tarbell Ditch collects water from Lake Fork Cochetopa Creek and delivers it to Lake Fork of Saguache Creek.

#29 - Tabor Ditch

Locations: East Fork Cebolla Creek. Spring Creek. Spring Creek Pass.
Spring Creek Pass, Continental Divide, 10,898 ft.

Collects water from the East Fork Cebolla Creek and delivers it across Spring Creek Pass to Spring Creek.

#30 - Weminuche Pass Ditch

Locations: Weminuche Creek. Weminuche Pass.

#31 - Pine River-Weminuche Pass Ditch

Locations: Weminuche Creek. Weminuche Pass.

Diverts water from two tributaries of Los Pinos River across Weminuche Pass and down Weminuche Creek to Rio Grande Reservoir.

#32 - Williams Creek-Squaw Pass Ditch

Other articles:
• Forest Road 520: at Squaw Ck;

Locations: Squaw Creek. Williams Creek.

Very difficult to visualize this ditch on aerial photography because of snow cover.

Diverts water from an unnamed fork of Williams Creek over Squaw Pass to Squaw Creek and the Rio Grande River just below Rio Grande Reservoir.

#33 - Don La Font Ditch Nos. 1 & 2

Locations: Piedra Pass.

#34 - Treasure Pass Ditch

Locations: Wolf Creek Pass.

#35 - San Juan-Chama Project

Other articles:
• Blanco Basin Rd: near Blanco Dam;

Locations: Blanco Dam. Rio Blanco.

Blanco Dam

Locations: Blanco Tunnel.

Blanco Tunnel transports water from Blanco Dam on Rio Blanco to Little Oso Dam on the Little Navajo River.

Other articles:
• US Highway 84: 12880;

Locations: Little Oso Dam.

Little Oso Dam

Locations: Oso Tunnel.

Oso Tunnel

Other articles:
• County Road 382: at Oso Div Dam;
• US Highway 84: 12981;

Locations: Navajo River. Oso Diversion Dam.

Oso Diversion Dam

Locations: Azotea Tunnel.

Azotea Tunnel

Literature Cited:
- Winchester, John N., P.E., 2001.

Azotea Tunnel: The San Juan Chama Project was developed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as part of the Colorado River Storage Project. The project diverts water from tributaries of the San Juan River in the Colorado River basin in Colorado for delivery to the Rio Grande basin in New Mexico. The Project provides an average annual diversion of about 110,000 acre-feet of water from tributaries of the San Juan River for municipal, domestic, and industrial uses, as well as supplemental irrigation water and incidental recreation and fish and wildlife benefits.
Surveys for diverting San Juan River Basin waters into the Rio Chama began in 1933. Construction of Azotea Tunnel began on April 22, 1964, and was completed on November 11, 1970. The Azotea Tunnel is 12.8 miles long, has a capacity of950 cfs, and carries the water from the Navajo River, tributary to the San Juan, to Azotea Creek in the Rio Grande basin.
As the project was a federal undertaking, there are no state water rights associated with the project. The average annual diversion for water years 1990-1999 was 91,790 acre-feet, and the water year 2000 yield was 96,189 acre-feet (USBRb, 2000, as cited by Winchester, 2001).

#36 - Red Mountain Ditch

Other articles:
• US Hwy 550: 29000;

Locations: Mineral Creek. Red Mountain Pass.

The Red Mountain Ditch collects water from Mineral Creek on the west side of US Hwy 550, and transports it north across Red Mountain Pass.

#37 - Carbon Lake Ditch

Other articles:
• US Hwy 550: 29010;

Locations: Carbon Lake Mine.

Literature Cited:
- CFWE Staff, 2004.

Locations: Big Horn Gulch. Koehler Tunnel.

The Kohler Tunnel northwest of the town of Silverton, is one of the Animas River basin's primary sources of mine-related pollution. Drilled through the side of Red Mountain, Kohler Tunnel accumulated seepage waters from the numerous mine shafts of the now defunct San Antonio Mine. The main source of this seepage water coming into the mine was the Carbon Lake Ditch (CFWE, 2004).

Constructed in the 1950s, Carbon Lake Ditch diverted water from Big Horn Gulch and transported these waters some 1.25 miles to the Uncompahgre River. Its primary purpose was to supply irrigation water downstream to a dozen Montrose County farmers (CFWE, 2004).

Looking for ways to mitigate the Kohler Tunnel drainage, a local working group, purchased the entire Carbon Lake Ditch water right — some 15 cubic-feet-per-second. One of the most important potential roadblocks to the project was getting the Carbon Lake Ditch irrigators to agree to sell their water. The Montrose farmers were willing to sell their water rights because Ridgway Reservoir, located closer to home, had proved able to supply the farmers with adequate water (CFWE, 2004).

#38 - Mineral Point Ditch

Locations: Mineral Point.

The Mineral Point Ditch is about 3/4 mile southeast of Mineral Point.

#39 - Leon Tunnel

Other articles:
• Forest Road 121: at FR 126;

Locations: Leon Tunnel. Marcott Creek.

The Leon Tunnel diverts water from the artificial Leon Lake into the Gunnison River drainage at Marcott Creek.

#40 - Divide Highline Feeder Ditch

Locations: Clear Fork. Clear Fork Ditch.

Apparently also known as Clear Fork Ditch.

Access to the ditch appears difficult. Motorized access may be from the north, whereas access from the south may be only by pack trail.

#41 - Sarvis Ditch

Other articles:
• Forest Road 100: at Sarvis Ditch;

Literature Cited:
- Colorado Water Conservation Board, 2009.

The Sarvis Ditch is a transbasin diversion facility that diverts water from the headwaters of Service Creek into the headwaters of Red Dirt Creek, a tributary of Muddy Creek in Irrigation Division 5. ... The diversion is reported to be a low embankment constructed around a large open meadow near the top of the drainage divide and is located at an extremely remote sight (sic).

#42 - Stillwater Ditch

Locations: Five Pine Mesa.

The Stillwater Ditch is also known as the Five Pine Mesa Ditch, because part of its route traverses the top of Five Pine Mesa.

Literature Cited:
- Colorado Water Conservation Board, 2009.

The Stillwater Ditch (a.k.a. the Five Pines Mesa Ditch) is a major diversion facility in the upper reaches of the Bear River and is operated by the Stillwater Ditch and Reservoir Company. The ditch diverts its supply from the outlet works of Yamcolo Reservoir and delivers a portion of the water for irrigation in the area of Five Pines Mesa, which is tributary to the Bear (Yampa) River basin and a portion out-of-basin to the Egeria Creek drainage which is tributary to the Colorado River. The following absolute direct flow water right is associated with the Stillwater Ditch.

Other articles:
• County Road 7: at Yamcolo Res;

Locations: Five Pine Mesa Ditch.

The source of the Stillwater ditch is at the base of the Yamcolo Dam and Reservoir.

Other articles:
• County Route 3: at ditch;
• Field Notes: 19 Jun 2019;

Locations: Five Pine Mesa Ditch.
Stillwater Ditch (Five Pine Mesa Ditch) coming down from Stillwater Reservoir.

Stillwater Ditch (Five Pine Mesa Ditch) coming down to Toponas and eventually the Colorado River.

The Stillwater crosses Five Pine Mesa.

#43 - Dome Ditch

Locations: Dome Creek. Yamcolo Reservoir.

Dome Ditch pre-dates Yamcolo Reservoir and is submerged within it. When it was in operation, Dome Ditch diverted water to the Stillwater Ditch.

#44 - Redlands Power Canal

Other articles:
• CO Hwy 340: at Monument Rd;

Locations: Redlands Power Canal.

The Redlands Power Canal diverts water from the Gunnison River just upstream of its junction with the Colorado River. Some of the water is used to generate electricity, and some is pumped into the Redlands First Lift Canal. Water not diverted into the canal is returned to the Colorado River

Literature Cited

A list of all literature cited by this web site can be found in the Bibliography.

Blankenbuehler, Paige. 2012. Roberts Tunnel celebrates 50 years. Summit Daily News. {TAS-pdf}

CFWE Staff. 2004. Instream Flows: Improving and Protecting Our Streams and Lakes. Headwaters.

Coleman, Caitlin. 2014. Citizen's Guide to Colorado's Transbasin Diversions. 2014.

Colorado Water Conservation Board. 2009. Yampa River Basin. Colorado's Decision Support Systems.

Emery, Erin. 1998. Pueblo uses water to sell itself. Denver Post.

Gardner-Smith, Brent. 2015. State Supreme court to weigh water diversion. Post Independent Citizen Telegram. {TAS-pdf} Date retrieved: 30 January 2015, https://www.postindependent.com/news/state-supreme-court-to-weigh-water-diversion/

Gronning Engineering Company. 1986. City of Colorado Springs: Arkansas River Exchange Plan. {TAS-pdf}

Holleran, Michael. 2005. Historic Context for Irrigation and Water Supply Ditches and Canals in Colorado. Denver, CO: Unicersity of Colorado at Denver, 2005.

Nettles, Dave, Mark Simpson, and Jen Lever. 2017. Colorado Division of Water Resources. Water Literate Leaders of Northern Colorado. {TAS-pdf} Date retrieved: 30 January, http://waterliterateleaders.colostate.edu/files/Nettles%20Presentation.pdf

Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District. 2013. Colorado-BigThompson & Windy Gap Project Statistics. Date retrieved 15 November 2017, https://www.northernwater.org/docs/Water_Projects/CBTandWgStats_2013.pdf

Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District. 2017. How Windy Gap Works. Date retrieved: 13 November 2017, http://www.northernwater.org/WaterProjects/HowWindyGapWorks.aspx

Northwest Colorado Council of Governments. 2012. Blue River Water Quality Management Plan. Link to external document. {TAS-pdf} Date retrieved: 25 January 2018.

Rogers, Jedediah S. 2006. Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. {TAS-pdf}

Rush, J. 2016. Tunneling at Altitude: Colorado's Michigan Ditch Tunnel Secures Water Delivery for Fort Collins. Tunnel Business Magazine. {TAS-pdf} Date retrieved: 31 January 2018, https://tunnelingonline.com/tunneling-at-altitude/

Schaak, Jerry, and Susan A. Anderson. 2001. Transbasin Water Transfers. Proceedings of the 2001 USCID Water Management Conference. Denver, CO: U. S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, June 27-30, 2001. {TAS-pdf} Date retrieved: 29 January 2018, https://dspace.library.colostate.edu/bitstream/handle/10217/46354/101_Proceedings%202001%20USCID%20Water%20Management%20-%20Transbasin%20Water%20Transfers.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Smith, Jerd. 2019. Eco-vandals shutdown high country water diversions bound for the Front Range, causing $1 million in damage. Water Education Colorado. {TAS-pdf}

Sumner, H. A. 1896. Eighth Biennial Report of the State Engineer to the Governor of Colorado. for the Years 1895 and 1896. Denver, Colorado: 1897.

Tait, C. E. 1902. Storage of water on Cache La Poudre and Big Thompson Rivers. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Experiment Stations. 134. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1903.

Thaemert, R. L., and David K. Thaemert. 2001. Michigan Ditch -- Paragigm for Trans-Basin Diversions?. pp. 471-477 in Schaak, Jerry, and Susan S. Anderson. 2001 USCID Water Management Conference. Transbasin Water Transfers. Denver, CO: U. S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, 2001. {TAS-pdf}

U. S. Bureau of Reclamation. 1968. Advance Notice: To All Prospective Bidders for Construction of the Ivanhoe, Cunningham, and Mormon Tunnels and Granite Siphon, North Side Collection … Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, Colorado. Denver, Colorado: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, August 30, 1968. {TAS-pdf}

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Wahlstrom, Ernest E., and V. Q. Hornback. 1962. Geology of the Harold D. Roberts Tunnel, Colorado: West Portal to Station 468+49. Geological Society of America Bulletin. 73: 1477-1498. {TAS-pdf}

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Date and time this article was prepared: 11/3/2024 5:26:42 PM