Salazar and Allard Jackson Gulch Project Legislation to Receive Hearing by the U.S. Senate Energy Committee
Colorado Lawmakers Working to Preserve Water Delivery for Southwest Colorado

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) and Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) announced today that the U.S. Senate Energy Committee will hold a hearing today to consider their legislation to provide more than $6 million in federal funding to rehabilitate the Jackson Gulch irrigation canal, part of the Mancos Project.

“I grew up on a ranch in the arid San Luis Valley, and without irrigation water my family could not have made a living,” said Senator Salazar. “Throughout Colorado the water provided by our reservoirs and ditches is essential to all of our livelihoods. Rehabilitating the Jackson Gulch irrigation canal will ensure that the farmers, ranchers and communities in the area receive the water they need to thrive. I will continue to work with my Senate colleagues to obtain the funds necessary to repair the Jackson Gulch irrigation canal.”

“Water is one of the most important substances in rural Colorado and we cannot allow it to be lost due to infrastructure which has long outlived its planned life expectancy,” said Senator Allard. “We must ensure that the agricultural and residential communities throughout the Mancos Valley continue to be supplied with this most precious resource. This bill will help to assure that.”

Nearly 60 years ago, the Mancos Project irrigation canal was built, delivering water from Jackson Gulch Dam to residents, farms and businesses in Montezuma County. Since its construction, the Mancos Project has been maintained by the Mancos Water District and inspected by the Bureau of Reclamation, but has outlived its expected life and is now badly in need of rehabilitation.

In addition to providing supplemental agricultural water for about 8,650 irrigated acres and a domestic water supply for the Mesa Verde National Park, the Mancos Project also delivers water to the more than 500 members of the Mancos Rural Water Company, the Town of Mancos and at least 237 agricultural businesses.

If the Mancos Project’s canals experienced a catastrophic failure, it could result in Mesa Verde National Park being without water during the peak of their visitation and fire season, the Town of Mancos suffering a severe municipal water shortage and the possible loss of up to $1.48 million dollars of crop production and sales annually.

The Salazar-Allard bill would authorize $6.4 million to pay an 80 percent federal cost-share for rehabilitation of the Mancos Project.

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