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<br /> <br />14 <br /> <br /> <br />RANGELY DITCH <br /> <br />Although the foregoing material relates to the Lower Vlhite <br /> <br />River Basin as a whole, the following maintenance and diversion <br /> <br />problems of the Rangely Ditch, and the methods advanced for their <br /> <br />solution, will also be applicable to other ditcl~s diverting from <br /> <br />the Lower White River. <br /> <br />Rangely Ditch diverts water from the south side of the Tlhite <br /> <br />River, five miles east of Rangely, Colorado. The gradient of the <br /> <br />river and the valley floor through the area is low. Although the <br /> <br />(1 <br />-;.; <br />~c <br /> <br />gradient is 'low, the topography of the valley floor, especially <br /> <br />,,"'\ <br />, --... <br /> <br />near the outer edges of the flood plain, is rolling to undulating. <br />, <br /> <br />Under these conditions a long ditch is required to convey water <br /> <br />from the river to the place of use. Rangely Ditch, with a carry- <br /> <br />ing capacity of about 44 c.f.s., is approximately five miles in <br /> <br />length and in several places it crOSSes dry water courses entering <br /> <br />the valley from the south. These, ordinarily dry creeks, are sub- <br /> <br />ject to flash floods originating in their headwaters. These flash <br /> <br />floods, which are heavily la~.en yJith silt, not only damage the <br /> <br />ditch but fill it with silt to the extent that it often needs <br /> <br />cleaning at least four times during a single irrigating season. <br /> <br />The stream channel, which has cut into the alluvium somo 10 to 15 <br /> <br />/~ <br /> <br />feot boloy! the level of the valloy floor, is wide and sandy. Its <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />width and bottom characteristics are such that permanent divorsion <br /> <br />0818 <br /> <br />