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Grand County approves MOU to pursue 58.5 Veil Ditch shares with Open Lands, Rivers & Trails funds
Summary
Grand County commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding to pursue purchase of 58.5 shares of the Veil Ditch (Veil Ditch Mutual Ditch) using Open Lands, Rivers & Trails funding, contingent on execution of the purchase and completion of due diligence by county water counsel.
Grand County staff and the Board of County Commissioners on May 6 approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would allow the county to receive a $409,500 Open Lands, Rivers & Trails (OLRT) grant to acquire 58.5 shares of the Veil Ditch water rights for use in agricultural and late‑season environmental flow purposes.
Kaylee Folk, water quality staff, told the board the MOU is contingent on executing the purchase-and-sale agreement and completion of due diligence; those documents must be completed before OLRT funds are awarded. She said the county's plan is to sublease the shares to agricultural producers on Granby Mesa for haying in the first season, and then to use Meadow Creek Reservoir water as part of a water conservation or substitute supply program to boost late‑season flows in the Fraser and Colorado rivers.
Folk said the acquisition is intended "to work with our local producers on the Mesa, as well as using the shares as part of a water conservation project or a substitute water supply plan" and clarified that the county "is in no way trying to harm any agricultural producers on the Granby Mesa" or convert the rights to development. County Manager Edward T. Moyer and staff said the MOU requires the closing documents be provided to OLRT staff and that county legal counsel will complete required title and chain-of-title review before a transfer.
The board voted to approve the MOU and to authorize the chair to sign applicable documents. Commissioners and staff stressed the purchase is contingent on the successful completion of due diligence by the county's water attorney and on the closing under the previously signed purchase-and-sale agreement. The county manager and staff said the chain-of-title review was complete and clean at the time of the meeting.
Public comments earlier in the meeting raised concerns about local irrigation maps and ditch maintenance on Granby Mesa; a resident, Daniela Gosova, told commissioners that a map presented earlier was inaccurate and worried about declining ditch company participation in maintenance. County staff acknowledged those concerns and said the acquisition would be managed to prioritize agricultural use and river health.
