The city of grand junction, located in mesa county, colorado, will develop final design construction plans to pipe the juniata enlarged ditch and reduce water loss through evaporation and seepage

The Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation awarded the City of Grand Junction $320,000 on December 16, 2025, under the WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) Project Grant program to develop final design and construction plans for piping the Juniata Enlarged Ditch in Mesa County, Colorado. The piping project will reduce water loss through evaporation and seepage; the city estimates current losses at 30 percent of total water diversions through the ditch and projects that piping will deliver an additional 510 acre-feet annually to the Juniata Reservoir for municipal water supply. The city identified municipal growth and climate-driven reductions in available surface water supplies as threats to meeting future water demand, and this project advances the goals of the city's 2023 Grand Junction Regional Water Efficiency Plan and prior WaterSMART foundational studies. Work is performed in Grand Junction, Colorado, with a period of performance through March 31, 2028. The award is a Project Grant, which is a cost-shared assistance type designed to leverage resources for water conservation and efficiency improvements in the 17 Western States.

The city?s previous watersmart water marketing strategy report identified municipal growth and the potential reduction in available surface water supplies due to climate impacts as two major threats to their ability to meet municipal water supply demands. The city estimates IT currently loses 30% of total water diversions through the ditch, and piping the ditch would result in the delivery of an additional 510 acre-feet a year to the juniata reservoir for city water use. This project aligns with the goals of the city?s past foundational studies and planning efforts undertaken to promote water conservation and secure the future water needs of the grand valley, including the 2023 grand junction regional water efficiency plan.