Laserfiche WebLink
11.5.2 CANAL COMPANY NUMBERS 1 AND 2 <br />The United States Congress set the stage for the actual development of the Dolores River by <br />enactment of a law in 1880. The laws allowed private capital to recoup its investment in western <br />development, by giving land to the developer for resale to private individuals, once the developer <br />constructed a system to deliver water to the land. In the case of the Dolores River, two private <br />companies exercised this option, Canal Company No. 1 and Canal Company No. 2. No. 1 <br />constructed a tunnel diversion from the Dolores River to the head of Hartman Draw to serve the <br />Lower Montezuma Valley. No. 2 constructed a canal diversion through the Great Cut Dike to <br />bring water to the Upper Montezuma Valley. <br />11.5.3 MVIC FORMED <br />Settlement of the Montezuma Valley was predicated upon diversion of water from the Dolores <br />River to irrigate land. However, constructing the facilities was only the first hurdle; paying for <br />the operation and maintenance was also a major problem. There were reported to be over 100 <br />wooden flume structures on the canal delivery system. There was no organization for collection <br />of money to perform proper operation and maintenance. Gradually the system deteriorated and <br />the original private companies went broke trying to maintain the system. In 1920, under new <br />Colorado laws, which were enacted to address such problems, the Montezuma Valley Irrigation <br />Company (MVIC) was formed. It is a non profit corporation which provided the stable structure <br />needed to collect fees from irrigators and operate and maintain an irrigation system. MVIC has <br />provided a stable entity to operate the facilities since it's formation. <br />The MVIC water system was primarily a "run of the river" system. If there was water in the <br />Dolores River the irrigators had water, if there was no water in the river there was no irrigation. <br />MVIC alleviated some of the fluctuation with the re- construction of Groundhog Reservoir in <br />1933, (the original one washed out during the fall flood of 1911), the enlargement of <br />Narraguinnep in 1957, and the construction of Totten Reservoir. Irrigators could never know <br />whether there would be enough water to complete a crop and many times there was not. The <br />supply was always reduced one half by early to mid July due to reduce Dolores River flows. <br />MVIC commissioned many engineering studies to determine the most cost effective way to <br />increase their water supply. All studies indicated that cooperating with all other interested <br />parties in the construction of McPhee Dam and Reservoir as part of the USBR Dolores Project <br />was the best answer. <br />II.5.4 CORTEZ BOOTSTRAPS <br />Cortez Bootstraps was a volunteer economic development committee formed in the late 1950s. <br />One of its primary efforts was to promote the Dolores Project. During a visit from Congressman <br />Wayne Aspinall, who at that time was Chairman of the House Interior Committee, Cortez <br />Bootstraps requested his support in obtaining authorization and funding for the Dolores Project. <br />Mr. Aspinall's response, in addition to committing his support was, "if the local community is <br />serious about the Dolores Project, you will get busy and form a water conservancy district ". <br />II.5.5 DISTRICT FORMED <br />The Dolores Water Conservancy DISTRICT was created by the decree of Colorado District <br />Court in Montezuma County in November 1961. The Dolores Project was authorized as part of <br />Colorado River Storage Project by enactment of Public Law 90 -537 on September 30, 1968. <br />7 <br />