Ridgway Dam To Provide Water Mains For Valley

RIDGWAY UNDER WATER?

From The Ouray Herald     September 5, 1963

(Montrose) Tri-County Water Conservancy District Directors at a meeting last week gave final approval for the inclusion of 15,000 acre feet of storage for a domestic water supply in the proposed Dallas Creek Project at Ridgway.

According to local engineering firms this amount of storage will provide ample domestic water for rural, suburban and municipal use for the Uncompahgre Valley from the dam, just northeast of the flooded town of Ridgway, to the junction of the Gunnison River near Delta.

This includes the town of Olathe and the cities of Montrose and Delta, at their discretion, and provides for future growth and expansion of the entire area. A direct benefit of the proposed system would be the available resource of domestic water at a very economical rate.

The dam is currently under feasibility study by the Bureau of Land Reclamation. That study is scheduled to be completed by December.

The multi-purpose project wood provide storage for flood control, recreation, fishery, water quality control, municipal water and water for irrigation.

“Sometimes we have to flood a town or two yielding to the onward march of progress,” said a Tri-County spokesman.

Meanwhile residents of Ridgway watch and wait as the river is expected to rise any time now. Most have stopped mowing their lawns and painting their house opting to spend free time building arks.