River

stabilization projects

proposed



ALAMOSA — Members of the Rio Grande Roundtable on Tuesday considered requests for $1,687,700 in projects to stabilize and protect the San Luis Valley’s rivers.

The group recommended for state approval an $83,700 funding request for a project on the Romero and Guadalupe ditches that will protect the town of Guadalupe from flooding and will assist the Conejos River in meeting its share of the Rio Grande Compact obligations.

Two other projects will come back with full presentations next month. The larger of the two, a $1.5 million request from the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust, would help protect the Rio Grande through conservation easements. The third project is a request for $104,000 to help stabilize the Alamosa River.

The roundtable is one of several in the state representing each of the state’s river basins. The state legislature approved $1 million in funding designated specifically for each river basin as well as a larger multi-million-dollar pool of statewide funding for which projects in all of the river basins may compete. The $83,700 request is for basin-designated funds while the other two requests will be from the statewide account. The requests first go to the roundtable for review and recommended approval before going to the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) for state approval and funding.

Roundtable Chairman Mike Gibson said that including the Romero/Guadalupe project, the roundtable has committed a total of $160,000-170,000 out of its $1 million allotment.

No one contested the Romero/Guadalupe request.

Romero Ditch President/Guadalupe Ditch Secretary Sam Vance presented the request with Nicole Langely who designed the grant application. The ditch companies are working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service for design work and funding. Each of the ditches is putting money in on the project as well. The total cost of the Romero/Guadalupe project is $172,300.

Robins Construction, a local company familiar with the Conejos River, is expected to perform the work this fall and winter if the funds are allocated by the state.

Presenters said this project would reshape and improve the condition of the channel of the Conejos River and stabilize banks through such means as J-hooks and rock weirs.

Vance said that several years ago the town of Guadalupe flooded, and this project will prevent that from happening again.

“We are simply fixing a problem,” Langely said.

“We have tried everything from cars to wire baskets,” Vance said.

The Romero ditch serves 10,600 acres and 53 shareholders, and the Guadalupe serves 900 acres and 17 shareholders.

Colorado Division of Water Resources Division III Division Engineer Michael Sullivan said the loss of riverbank and river flooding would be detrimental to the state’s meeting its compact obligations. Usually during periods of high water, he said, the Conejos River has a higher obligation to meet the compact.

CWCB Chairman Travis Smith said the intent of the legislated funding was to help small entities such as this with projects that have been needed for some time but have not had the funding. “This seems like a good fit,” he said.

Roundtable member Doug Shriver agreed. He applauded the group on its presentation. Gibson added, “In my mind, this is what we need to see from applicants ... This is a good example of what we should be looking forward to in the future as presentations to the roundtable.”