This year’s 6th Annual West Slope Water Summit held in Montrose last week featured informative discussions on both the Uncompahgre River Basin and the larger Colorado River System. Montrose County Commissioner Sue Hansen led the day-long event emphasizing the importance of gathering.
KVNF’s Brody Wilson kicked off the day with a creative presentation on the building of the iconic Gunnison Tunnel. Wilson told a number of riveting stories about the construction of the tunnel including a dramatic cave in.
Wilson’s presentation was followed by Steve Pope, manager of Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association.
Pope detailed the management and challenges of overseeing 128 miles of primary canals, 438 miles of lateral ditches,216 miles of drains. The system irrigates roughly 83,000 acres of agricultural land. Pope talked about challenges to the system including land development, easements for maintenance and the changes in agricultural production.
Other issues include an aging infrastructure built in the 1940’s to support the tunnel and move water from Montrose County to Delta County.
Also speaking at the summit were Andy Mueller, Colorado River District Manager, and Beck Mitchell ,Colorado River Commissioner. Mueller and Mitchell provided a timely update on current Colorado River negotiations. Mueller talked about the importance of purchasing the Shoshone water rights on the Colorado River no matter who occupies the White House.
