WSP01021

• File Number: 8441
• Description: Colorado Big Thompson Project
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 1/1/1987
• Title: Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District Waternews
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

Supply and Storage Company; this
engineering marvel collected ~now runoff
high on the mountains above ithe
headwaters of the Grand River and
transported it approximately 5; 1/2 miles
through unlined ditch and wooqen flumes
to the Poudre River.
Still operating today, andlexpanded
to a full 17 miles in length, the Grand
River Ditch has been placed op the
National Register of Historic RJaces\ a
reminder of the efforts early d~y farmers
made at supplying additional water for the
northern Front Range.
The Michigan Ditch was gegun in
1902. This ditch started at Lake Agnes and
brought Michigan River water toto the
Poudre Basin. The Michigan DJtch was
later purchased by the North Poudre
Irrigation Company which sold ~t to the
City of Fort Collins in the mid 19i1Os. Fort
Collins operates and maintains ~his ditch
too~. :
The Laramie~ Poudce Resertoir and
Irrigation Company began cons~cting a
tunnel to bring more Laramie Riv~r water
into the Poudre basin in 1909. A 2 1/4
mile long tunnel was built throt{gh Green
Mountain to provide for this di\tersion.
This project! finished in 1911\ Was taken
over shortly thereafter by the Wat~r Supply
and Storage Company which still9perates
it tooay. .
All told, the addition of .
approximately 40,000 acre,feet i~to the
Poudre Basin helped service the needs of
the northern Front Range for man~( years.
But with the advent of the Depress.' on and
irsaccompanyingdrought, anew dev.eq.
larger undertaking was needed. It was at
this point that a concentrated effort to
, secure state and/or federal fundin~ for a
larger transmountain diversion prolect was
intensified. These efforts culminated in the
Colorado#Big Thompson Project. ;

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Grand River
Ditch

Laramie River bitch

. . . and Now

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