The florida consolidated ditch company, located in durango, will convert 4.5 miles of the open earthen hess lateral to a buried pressurized high-density polyethylene pipeline

The Florida Consolidated Ditch Company, located in Durango, Colorado, was awarded a $4,649,853 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation under the WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) federal grant program (CFDA 15.507). The grant will fund a project to convert 4.5 miles of open earthen irrigation lateral to a buried, pressurized high-density polyethylene pipeline, along with the construction of 24 irrigation turnouts, a reinforced concrete turnout structure, a reinforced concrete pipeline intake structure, and an intake pond. This infrastructure upgrade is expected to result in annual water savings of 206 acre-feet, which can be stored in Lemon Reservoir and used for beneficial purposes, including supplemental in-stream flows and avoiding reduced water allocations during times of shortage. The project will also facilitate current and future on-farm improvement projects, including conversion to more efficient sprinkler irrigation systems. The award date is July 29, 2024, and the ultimate completion date is December 31, 2026.

The project also includes construction of 24 irrigation turnouts, a reinforced concrete turnout structure, a reinforced concrete pipeline intake structure, and an intake pond. The project is expected to result in annual water savings of 206 acre-feet, currently lost to seepage and evaporation. Conserved water can be stored in lemon reservoir and can be used for beneficial uses, including supplemental in-stream flows (in 2020 and 2021, the company donated over 500 acre-feet of water to the florida river for aquatic and riparian benefits) and helping to avoid reduced water allocations during times of shortage. By improving delivery pressure, the project will also facilitate current and future on-farm improvement projects, including conversion to sprinkler irrigation systems.