Irrigation Improvements to Protect Water Rights

By Nathan Ward, Upper Arkansas Watershed Partnership Coordinator

Some locals call it “The Green in Between”. The Hutchinson Ranch lies between the towns of Salida and Poncha Springs and the ranch hay fields and cottonwood tree groves along the South Arkansas River here provide valuable open space and views for everyone traveling the corridor through this increasingly-developed area. 

Established in 1867, the Hutchinsons have been ranching this land for six generations now. Fortunately for everyone in the upper Arkansas River watershed, several years ago the Hutchinson family chose to preserve the ranch as open space, placing more than 800 acres into two conservation easements, one of which is held by Central Colorado Conservancy. 

But ranches don’t run on views, ranches run on water. In this watershed - a high altitude desert with very little annual precipitation - every drop of water is spoken for and allocated to water rights holders that date back well over a century. 

The Del Monte Ditch diverts water from Poncha Creek, a tributary of the South Arkansas River above Poncha Springs, and carries the water over 4 miles from the creek to the Hutchinson Ranch. It’s a vital source of water for the ranch. Originally dug by hand, for over a hundred years the ditch has been subjected to all the challenges of the mountains - high water flows in spring, flash floods, sediment washing down from the hillsides above, falling trees, erosion and more. The Hutchinsons work to maintain the ditch every year, but ever so often, more serious improvements are needed. 

Before and after pictures of the new diversion in Poncha Creek.

After working with a stakeholder group for several years, work started on the Del Monte Ditch last year to address some of the needed improvements. Due to the seriousness of water these days, this work is now more complicated than digging out a ditch with a hand shovel. The stakeholder group grew to include water commissioners from the Colorado Division of Water Resources, the USDA National Resource Conservation Service, The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), the Colorado Ag Water Alliance (CAWA), the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the Central Colorado Conservancy as part of the Upper Arkansas Watershed Partnership (UAWP).

Projects like this include a lot of challenges to navigate - the engineered designs, cost estimates, permits, the restoration firm and of course, the funding. Prices for materials and labor have more than doubled in recent years and irrigation improvement projects cost a lot to implement. 

Luckily in Chaffee County, we have the Chaffee County Common Ground Fund (CCCGF) which can provide project funds for agricultural projects like this. For this project, the Conservancy/UAWP helped the Hutchinson Ranch apply for a CCCGF grant which was awarded to the ranch. Then we were able to work with the Colorado Ag Water Alliance to receive a CWCB Water Plan grant, and the Hutchinsons contributed the rest. 

After years of planning, work began last winter and the final project included installing rock vanes and a diversion gate in Poncha Creek, improving a section of the ditch by digging out accumulated sediment, installing a new head gate, rebuilding the waste water chute to return extra water to the creek, piping a section of the ditch to avoid re-occurring sedimentation, and putting in a new measuring flume.

Before and after pictures of the new headgate on Del Monte Ditch.

The project required significant work and funding, but the benefits are worth it. The Hutchinson Ranch will now be able to utilize their full Del Monte Ditch water right which will protect the ranch’s water rights for years to come, spend less time maintaining the ditch, and divert less water from Poncha Creek. The design also ensures adequate fish passage in the creek. 

CCC and the UAWP member organizations hope this irrigation infrastructure improvement project will serve as a model moving forward to show community members, agricultural producers, and agencies what can be accomplished when we work together collaboratively to improve the conservation value of our conservation easements, to protect water rights in the valley, and to support the agricultural community that helps make our watershed an incredible place to live. 

The Upper Arkansas Watershed Partnership consists of five founding member organizations - Central Colorado Conservancy, Upper Arkansas Conservation District, Collegiate Peaks Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative, and the Greater Arkansas River Nature Association. To learn more, visit: www.uawp.org.