ORCHARD CITY – A faulty water-level reading prompted an irrigation district to release too much water from a reservoir, standing thousands of fish and filling a neighborhood with a stench as the fish rotted in the sun.
“You just can’t hide from it unless you leave,” neighbor Patty Hemphill said. “If you’re breathing, you can smell it.”
The Orchard City Irrigation District, which manages the Fruitgrowers Reservoir, restored some water last week and plans to add more, said Harmon Lowman, president of the district.
A sediment buildup in the reservoir produced the inaccurate reading, leading the district to believe the water was deeper than it really was. As a result, managers sent too much water out of the reservoir and into irrigation ditches.
Orchard City, population 3,100, is 30 miles southeast of Grand Junction and 170 miles southwest of Denver. The Orchard City Irrigation District serves about 400 water users.
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Information from: The Daily Sentinel,
