Colorado-SE

In 2023, the Natural Resources Conservation Service partnered with local landowners to make improvements to the Ninemile Canal (5OT.448). The canal is a historical irrigation ditch in southeastern Colorado. The canal is approximately 9.8 miles long and located within the Purgatoire River Canon south of Higbee, in Otero County. The canal was constructed in 1888 and diverts water from the Purgatoire River near the confluence of Jack and Vose canyons and carries it east/northeast where it is further diverted for a variety of agricultural uses.

The Cañon Irrigation Ditch was first appropriated in April of 1857 and adjudicated in October 1883. The ditch is priority number 22 for this district and was originally allocated 42.7 cfs of water. The Cañon Irrigation Ditch is one of the oldest irrigation ditches in the state. The resource (along with the Antonito and San Juan San Rafael ditches) played an important role in the agricultural and community development of Antonito, Mogote, and Paisaje, Colorado and the surrounding areas. The resource was previously determined eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criteria A.