• RFQ
  • Calendar
  • Gallery
  • Partners
  • Glossary
  • Contact
  • Agriculture
    • Basin CoAgMet
  • Municipal & Industrial
    • Water Conservation
    • Drinking Water Providers
    • Conservation Planning
    • Land Use & Water
  • Recreation
    • Special Value Waters
    • Streamflow Gages
  • Environment
  • Funding
  • Water Planning
    • Colorado Water Plan
    • 2022 Basin Implementation Plan Update
    • 2015 Basin Implementation Plan
      • Grand County
      • Summit County
      • State Bridge
      • Eagle River
      • Middle Colorado
      • Roaring Fork
      • Grand Valley
    • Climate Plan
    • Watershed Planning
    • Stream Management
    • Demand Management
    • Big River Issues
    • Snow Report
  • Water Quality
    • Salinity & Selenium
    • Pollution Management
    • NWCCOG
  • About
    • Contact
    • Members
    • PEPO
    • CBRT By-Laws
    • Colorado Basin Facts
    • Meeting Minutes
    • Reports & Documents
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

Grand Valley

Home1 / Water Planning2 / Colorado Basin Implementation Plan3 / Grand Valley / Events4
  • Water Management
  • 2022 BIP Update
  • 2015 BIP
  • Grand County
  • Summit County
  • State Bridge
  • Eagle River
  • Middle Colorado
  • Roaring Fork
  • Grand Valley

Grand Valley Implementation Plan

Developed as part of the Colorado Basin Implementation Plan, which in turn contributed to Colorado’s statewide Water Plan.

The Grand Valley Region follows the mainstem of the Colorado River stretching from De Beque Canyon to the Colorado-Utah state line. The two main tributaries are the Gunnison River (in the Gunnison Basin) and Plateau Creek. Due to the favorable growing conditions and the supply of the Colorado River (previously the Grand River) the valley was one of the first areas in the Basin to develop and consequently, it has some of the most senior water rights. These senior water rights historically place a call on the river requiring water to be delivered to the region; this call is sometimes referred to as the “Cameo Call”. Maintaining this call and requiring delivery of the large flow of water to the lower Basin is a top priority. The irrigation entities that comprise the Cameo Call are the Grand Valley Irrigation Company, Palisade Irrigation District, Orchard Mesa Irrigation District (OMID), Mesa County Irrigation District and Grand Valley Water Users Association.

Grand Valley domestic water providers have made strong efforts to coordinate their services by establishing over 31 interconnects among, at least, four separate systems. This regional cooperation has even expanded to include the local irrigation entities to better coordinate water needs and manage the water resources in the Valley. This type of regional cooperation should be a model for not only the Basin but the entire state.

Ute Water Conservancy District (Ute Water) is the largest domestic water provider in the Colorado Basin with approximately 80,000 customers (Ute Water, 2014). Despite strong conservation gains lowering the average water use to less than 80 gallons per person per day, Ute Water anticipates a water Gap of approximately 9,000 AFY by the year 2045. To meet this Gap, Ute Water is currently pursuing permits to enlarge Hunter and Monument Reservoirs, both of which are located in the Plateau Creek watershed along the north side of the Grand Mesa. After 10 years and more than $1.5 million dollars spent by Ute Water the permit application continues to be under review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Colorado Water Plan

View Plan

Grand Valley Region is known throughout the state for its robust agriculture production that produces vegetables, fruits and grains on over 70,000 acres (Spahr, et. al., 2000). The most famous products from the Grand Valley are the prized Palisade peaches and numerous vineyards and associated wineries. The region is home to the City of Grand Junction and the surrounding communities which combined make it the largest population center in Colorado’s West Slope. Although the region is located in the lowest elevations of the Basin it is still home to the Powderhorn Ski Resort located on the north side of the Grand Mesa.

The most significant needs heard from the Grand Valley can be summarized by the need to protect, maintain and, if possible, increase flows in the Colorado River, not only to benefit the streams but to assure Colorado River Compact compliance and power production at Lake Powell. The Grand Valley desires to make best use of the Shoshone and Cameo calls, improve waterquality in the streams and particularly in the mainstem of the Colorado River, and improves the permitting process to allow for more efficient approval of water storage projects. A further concern for the Grand Valley is the continuation and success of the recovery of the endangered fish in the lower Colorado River. Water quality improvements are also a need due to high salinity and selenium concentrations which result from applying water to Grand Valley soils. Substantial investments have been made to line ditches and improve irrigation practices to reduce salt and selenium loading in the river. High salt levels cause problems for downstream agriculture, while high selenium levels negatively impact waterfowl and endangered fish. The Grand Valley is also a supporter of interstate activities to create real “new supply” such as desalination projects in the Lower Basin and importation of water from remote watersheds.

Colorado Basin Implementation Plan

View Plan

Region Themes

Grand Valley Region


Consumptive Uses

Grand Valley Region


Environmental & Recreational Conditions

Themes and
Supporting Vulnerabilities
MethodsIdentified Projects
Protect and Restore Healthy Streams, Rivers, Lakes and Riparian Areas

  • Aquatic environmental habitat degradation
  • 15-Mile Reach
  • Salinity and selenium issues
  • Collapsing ecosystems due to low flows, degrading water quality and non-optimal temperatures
  • Impacts by existing and potential additional transmountain and in-basin diversions
  • Evaluate use of supplies from upstream reservoirs for power production at the Grand Valley Power Plant, 15-Mile Reach flows and instream flows
  • Prohibit any new transmountain diversions to protect dilution flows in the mainstem of the Colorado River
  • Stormwater management plans
  • Identify Bureau of Reclamation funding for salinity/selenium remediation projects
  • Develop model to better represent timing of reservoir releases and stream management of the 15-Mile Reach
  • Comprehensive Grand Valley Canal lining project
  • Water provider conservation projects
  • OMID Improvements
Sustain Agriculture

  • Purchase of agricultural water rights by east slope entities
  • Late season shortage in Plateau Creek
  • Utilize toolbox of agricultural incentives
  • Build reservoirs in Plateau Creek tributaries to provide needed late season agricultural water
  • Maintain and improve infrastructure to ensure continued use of irrigation rights
  • Grand Valley Diversion Dam (Roller Dam) Improvements
  • Comprehensive Grand Valley Canal lining project
  • Collbran Conservation District main canal improvements and siphon replacement
  • Bull Creek #5 Reservoir
  • OMID improvements
Secure Safe Drinking Water

  • Extended drought
  • Colorado River Compact curtailment
  • Source watershed degradation
  • Research reservoir permitting constraints and inefficiencies with federal entities
  • Raw water Storage projects
  • Identify ways to use excess Green Mountain Reservoir HUP water to protect and firm up municipal water rights
  • Evaluate weather modification projects (e.g. cloud seeding) to enhance local water supplies
  • Hunter/Monument Reservoir
  • Big Park Reservoir
  • Willow Creek Reservoir
  • Owens Creek
  • Buzzard Creek Reservoir
Assure Dependable Basin Administration

  • Decreased flows in Colorado River from reduced calls at Shoshone Hydroelectric Plant and senior Grand Valley irrigation diversions (“Cameo Call”)
  • Use to full extent senior irrigation water rights
  • Evaluate potential for creation of Intentionally Created Storage (ICS) programs in Colorado and/or Upper Basin States
  • Prohibit any new transmountain diversions to protect water supplies in the mainstem of the Colorado River
  • Evaluate potential for a Water Bank (should avoid unregulated buy and dry by postCompact water users, should maintain full Grand Valley irrigation call during fallowing and deficit irrigation in Grand Valley)
  • Evaluate methods for West Slope acquisition of Shoshone Hydroelectric Plant or other permanent solution to maintain Shoshone flows
  • Maintain and improve infrastructure to ensure continued use of irrigation rights
  • Grand Valley Diversion Dam (Roller Dam) Improvements
  • Comprehensive Grand Valley canal lining projects
  • Collbran Conservation District main canal improvements and siphon replacement
  • Bull Creek #5 Reservoir
  • OMID improvements
  • Pursue acquisition or purchase of Xcelowned Shoshone Hydroelectric Plant or other permanent solution to maintain Shoshone flows

(The above information was extracted from the Colorado Basin Implementation Plan and edited slightly to fit)

Help

Home
About
Members
Partners
Basin Facts
Streamflow Gages
Snow Report
Meeting Calendar
Contact

Learn

Colorado Water Plan
Basin Implementation Plan (BIP)
CBRT BIP Update
Colorado Climate Plan
Agriculture
Municipal & Industrial
Recreation
Environment
Water Planning
Water Quality

Address

Colorado Basin Roundtable
℅ Colorado River Water Conservation District
201 Centennial Street, Suite 200
Glenwood Springs, Colorado 81601

Protecting Agriculture, Environment, Recreation & Water Supply for Western Colorado.

Colorado state flag
© 2023 Colorado Basin Roundtable - All Rights Reserved  |  Web Design by Goofyfooter Solutions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
Scroll to top
Skip to content
Open toolbar Accessibility Tools

Accessibility Tools

  • Increase TextIncrease Text
  • Decrease TextDecrease Text
  • GrayscaleGrayscale
  • High ContrastHigh Contrast
  • Negative ContrastNegative Contrast
  • Light BackgroundLight Background
  • Links UnderlineLinks Underline
  • Readable FontReadable Font
  • Reset Reset
  • HelpHelp