Gunnison Gorge Anglers serves the counties of Delta, Montrose, Ouray and San Miguel in Colorado.

All are welcome to subscribe to the newsletter, just click on Newsletters, then click on Subscribe to Newsletter. Visit our website, over 5000 photos, see what we are all about, find the best fishing spots. Click on Multimedia, then click on Slideshows and select photos to view.

Fly Tying step by step instruction, 75 patterns  currently, more to come, click on Fly Tying. 

RELIEF DITCH PROJECT

The following pictures document the construction of the removal and installation of a new structure for the take out of the Relief Ditch. Gunnison Gorge Anglers selected this project for 2012 and selected George Osborn to be the co-ordinator. Cary Dennison from Colorado Trout Unlimited has become the project manager.

Just wanted to let you know that the coffer dam on the north side at the 
Relief Ditch diversion has been removed and the river moved into its' 
permanent channel.  The south side will now be enclosed in a coffer dam 
while the remainder of the instream and bank stabilization takes place 
on that side.  The safe boater passage is between the 2 large boulders 
that stick up in center channel

Relief Ditch Reconstruction

Update September 1, 2012

Certification of the hydrology of the design to reconstruct the Relief Ditch Diversion dam has been performed by Flywater, Inc.

The reconstruction design has been reviewed by McLaughlin water and identified concerns have been addressed by Crane Associates.

An $80,000 grant from the Fishing is Fun program administered by Colorado Parks and Wildlife has been awarded pending final approval by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Crane Associates has been retained to provide technical oversight and any additional required engineering during the construction phase.

Terri Smith has been retained to provide accounting and reporting services for the duration of the project.

The BLM performed the Environmental Assessment of the project at no cost to the project which amounts to an in-kind donation of $35,000.

A grant of $50,000 in severance tax funds was received from the Colorado Water Conservation Board and administered through the Colorado River Water Conservation District in May of 2012.

A donation of $700 was received from the Conservation Center based in Delta County.

A grant of $90,000 has been received from the Colorado River Water Conservation District.

A request for construction proposals was released and the firm of Stonefly Earthworks based in Montrose Colorado was selected to build the project

A grant of $500,000 from the Species Conservation Trust Fund of the Colorado Water Conservation Board has been approved and will be routed through GGA/Trout Unlimited.

Dr. Tom Whiting of Whiting Farms has generously donated some of the rock to be used in the project.

We are pursuing purchase of a 30 foot long, 8 foot diameter culvert to replace the existing boiler culvert that is currently in use.  This will provide better access for haul trucks during construction as well as a safer access alternative for the Relief Ditch irrigators and general public upon completion of the project.

Start of construction will take place as soon as the Relief Ditch irrigators no longer require water to be diverted.

The possibility of diverting water around a coffer dam and into the existing Relief Ditch is being explored.  This would allow concrete work for the headgate structure to take place before cold winter temperatures should the Relief Ditch find a need to extend the irrigation season later into fall. 

A preliminary request will be submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for additional funding to cover adaptive management and monitoring of the project as well as the possibility of automating the headgate.

Completion of the diversion reconstruction will take place prior to the start of irrigation season in spring of 2013. 

A huge “THANK YOU” goes out to every individual, organization, and government agency who have contributed so much to advance the project to the point where it now stands.  There is still much work left to do, but this project would not be where it is without all of you.

New diversion structure