Colorado River District representative flags dry outlook, urges monitoring and irrigation efficiency

Carrie Dennison, Ouray County’s Colorado River District representative, told county commissioners in a work session update that river operations and drought planning are front of mind after the River District’s recent quarterly meeting.

Dennison said Ridgeway Reservoir is currently “about 6,000 acre‑feet higher than it normally is this time of year,” and that measured flows near the bottom of Ridgeway are “35 cubic feet per second,” with “about 30‑some CFS in Cow Creek.” She added that those local flow readings combine with larger Uncompahgre River flows downstream and that irrigators are already beginning to turn on ditches in places where runoff or dry conditions make earlier starts necessary.

The update stressed two items Dennison said the River District and local users are watching closely. First, a proposed purchase tied to the Shoshone project — described as an effort to buy a water right to protect West Slope flows — has a roughly $40 million federal grant component that is “on hold,” she said, pending Bureau of Reclamation staffing and leadership capacity to review the award. She said the River District still plans to present a transfer to an in‑stream flow right before the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) board if funding moves forward.

Second, Dennison described growing interest among local water users in applying to the Community Funding Partnership and other programs to fund water‑infrastructure work similar to the recent Ward Water Ditch multi‑benefit project. She praised that project’s headgate construction and said it was completed before high water arrived.

Dennison also warned commissioners about limited soil‑moisture data in the basin and urged the county to consider pilot monitoring. She said the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center relies heavily on SNOTEL networks and that adding a new soil‑moisture sensor typically requires a long calibration record before it is used in forecast inputs. “If we put a new soil‑moisture sensor … they want 10 years of data before they start putting that into the system,” Dennison said, relaying a response she said she received when asking about adding sites. She suggested the county and River District consider funding pilot sensors or other local monitoring to improve operational decisions for farms, ditches and reservoirs.

Dennison raised ecological concerns linked to low flows: Cow Creek and portions of the Uncompahgre support trout and native species such as the bluehead sucker, which she identified as one of the species of concern in the Colorado River Basin. She said many potential projects that would help flows and habitat — piping ditches, modernizing delivery systems and other efficiency measures — remain costed but lack a clear cost‑benefit analysis to guide priorities.

Dennison closed by noting the River District had no new Community Funding Partnership grants approved for Ouray County staff to report, that the River District recently awarded $300,000 for a partnership with Colorado Mesa University on water education, and that the River District’s next full board meeting is scheduled for April 14. She asked commissioners to send her questions or items they want raised at future River District meetings.

Ending: Dennison asked the board for feedback she could bring to River District directors and staff and said she was available to follow up with commissioners on specific local needs, including potential pilot monitoring and grant applications.