CENTER — The San Luis Valley Irrigation District Board of Directors on Wednesday, April 4, voted to award Moltz Civil LLC: Moltz Contractors and Moltz Construction, as principal contractor for the completion of Phase 2 of the Rio Grande Reservoir Rehabilitation Project located above Creede in the upper Rio Grande. 

On March 21 the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) approved a funding request by the district in the form of a non-reimbursable investment grant and a low interest loan for the Rio Grande Reservoir Rehabilitation. On March 26 the district held an informational meeting at the Center High School auditorium for landowners to learn more about the project with presentations by the design engineers and engineering consultants.

The district then held a landowner election April 3 for the shareholders to decide if they would like to enter into a contract with the CWCB for the grant / loan proposal regarding the project.  The election process went well with nearly 90 percent of the voting electors in favor of moving forward with the CWCB contract and the project.

Mobilization by the contractor to the project area at Rio Grande Reservoir can be expected to begin mid-summer this year with most of the work conducted during the winter months in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The San Luis Valley Irrigation District will provide proactive public outreach prior to and during the project construction period. The district plans to provide regulatory agencies, local governments and other stakeholders on project status and anticipated construction activities over the next two-year period.

This will be a historical event for the San Luis Valley as well as for the upper Rio Grande community. The district plans to work diligently towards minimizing impacts to the river for all shareholders involved during the construction period. 

Anyone with any questions about this project, please call the San Luis Valley Irrigation District office located in Center at 719-754-2254.                        

Caption: The San Luis Valley Irrigation District Board of Directors at their special meeting on Wednesday are clockwise from top left, Terry Chiles, Mark Beiriger, Tuck Slane, Randall Palmgren and Sheldon Rockey. At the left end of the table is SLV Irrigation Superintendent Rob Phillips./Courtesy photo