Red Top Valley Ditch Gate Improvements

Red Top Valley Ditch (5GA.2773) was determined eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2007. Completed circa 1903, the ditch was found to be significant under Criterion A for its association with early settlement and development of agriculture and ranching in the Grand Lake area. In June of 2021, NRCS again determined, and the Colorado State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) concurred that Red Top Valley Ditch retained a preponderance of historic integrity and was eligible for the NRHP. At that time, SHPO also concurred that the Supply Creek Diversion Gate structure was a supporting feature of NRHP-eligible ditch Linear Segment 5GA.2773.6. The other two subjects of this study, Red Top Valley Ditch Headgate and Stillwater Creek Diversion Gate are supporting features of their respective segments. As part of this project, the historic boundaries of Segment 5GA.2773.6 will be extended upstream to the northeast to include Red Top Valley Ditch Headgate. Stillwater Diversion Gate is part of newly delineated Segment 5GA.2773.8. The period of significance is 1903 to 1972 (revised per SHPO recommendation from 1903-Present).

The proposed project will involve minor alterations to the extant irrigation diversion system on the Red Top Valley Ditch Headgate at the North Fork Colorado River (5GA.2773.6) and alterations to Supply Creek Diversion Gate (5GA.2773.6) and Stillwater Creek Diversion Gate (5GA.2773.8). All manually operated gates on the three structures will be retrofitted with automated systems.

Authors: Michael Troyer (NRCS), John Ferguson (HDR, Inc.)

Keywords: NRCS, Irrigation, Ditches, Canals