Boulder resident raises concerns over Farmers Ditch maintenance; utilities director says city is majority shareholder and will follow up

A Boulder resident told the Utilities Advisory Board on Wednesday that recent maintenance along Farmers Ditch, adjacent to his home on Pearl Street, was conducted with little notice and left substantial disturbance to private yards.

“….they came in and basically dug up a large portion of the ditch and piled, made a huge mess … this is the beginning of a 30 year, $3,500,000 project to double the capacity of the farmer's ditch,” said Eric Gertler, who identified himself as living at 237 Pearl Street and said he has lived in Boulder for 30 years. He asked the board and staff for more information and for staff to look out for neighbors’ interests.

Board members and other residents also spoke during open comment. Lynn Siegel said she has for years raised concerns about water use and development patterns that she believes increase demand.

Joe Tadici, the city’s director of utilities, responded to Gertler’s remarks and said the city’s role with irrigation ditches is sometimes complex. Tadici said ditch companies operate under longstanding easement rights and must carry out maintenance; in some cases the city is a shareholder. “The Farmers' Stitch [Ditch] in particular, the city of Boulder utilities, is a majority shareholder, and we have 3 staff members who hold board positions, including Emily McMurtry … and she is the current president of the board,” Tadici said.

Tadici told the board that maintenance sometimes requires removal of sediment, trees and roots, and that work can adversely affect private property. He said the city’s staff coordinates where it can and encourages ditch companies to provide advance notice. Tadici also said the city’s interest in capacity is tied to state water rights; he stated the Farmers Ditch water rights are “about 55 cubic feet per second” and characterized much of the current work as restoring lost capacity where sediment and vegetation have reduced flows.

Tadici said the utilities department prepared a memo for the board in 2019 explaining ditch operations and that staff will follow up directly with Gertler in the next day or two to provide additional context and materials.

No formal action was taken by the board on the public comment. Tadici indicated staff would follow up with the resident and that the utilities department will work with the ditch company and other city departments as needed to improve advance notice and coordination.

Ending: Tadici said staff will provide Gertler with the 2019 memo and meet with him directly to discuss the maintenance work and next steps.