ROCKY FORD, Colo.—Some southeast Colorado farmers are joining forces in a “super ditch” company in hopes of negotiating better prices when they lease irrigation water to cities and other users.
Organizers said the new Lower Arkansas Valley Super Ditch Co. could lease up to 45,000 acre-feet of water a year, or about 14.7 million gallons, and generate $10 million to $15 million annually for farmers and other water-rights owners.
About 40 owners signed paper work this week forming the company.
“It gives farmers an equal fighting chance to do something they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do,” said John Schweizer, who farms near Rocky Ford and was elected to the Super Ditch board.
“I like it because it’s all voluntary. Nobody has to do anything they don’t want to,” he said.
The company could give farmers a new tool in the competition with urban interests for Colorado’s scarce water.
Front Range cities, including the Denver suburb of Aurora, have leased some southeast Colorado water to supply their growing populations. That alarms some farmers who fear the agricultural economy will suffer as irrigation water is diverted to cities.
Some farmers see the Super Ditch as a way of marketing water in the same way they market their farm produce.
“It’s a chance to keep the valley whole by adding another crop,” said Frank Milenski, who farms between Rocky Ford and Swink. “The whole goal is being able to keep the water in the valley.”
The Super Ditch will draw its water from six irrigation districts—Catlin, Fort Lyon, High Line, Holbrook, Otero and Oxford. It will not own or control the water, only negotiate leases between water rights owners and users.
Super Ditch organizers visited the Palo Verde Irrigation District in Blythe, Calif., for ideas. Palo Verde has a long-term deal to supply water to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves about 18 million people in six counties including Los Angeles and San Diego.
Palo Verde leases a portion of its water to the Metropolitan Water District by leaving a portion of its farmland fallow. The Lower Arkansas Super Ditch expects to use the same concept.
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Information from: The Pueblo Chieftain,
