The Delta independent., 1910-03-25
Important Ditch Proposition.

There was placed on file with the
county clerk last week the maps for
The Surface Creek Highline Canal, a
filing which was allowed by the state
engineer some time ago. The object
OF this canal is to take water from the
Surface Creek across the southern face
of Grand mesa to the country tributary
to Leroux Creek on the North Fork.
The canal will take water to Payne
mesa, the Leronx Creek valley, Rogers
mesa, Barrow mesa and to the country
lying west of Rogers mesa down tc
Austin.
1t is well known that these mesas
can use considerably greater quanti-
ty of water than they now have, to
come to their best development and the
means by which to get this additional
needed water have kept many people
studying. The problem is solved by
The Surface Creek Highline Canal and
as it is the intention of the company to
have water running through their ditch
next fall we may look for great devel-
| lHOSe regions.
The company back of the project is
composed of four Cedaredge men and
as showing their faith in the project
over fifty thousand dollars worth of
reservoir water has been purchased
within the past week. A part of this
purchase includes one-fourth interest in
the Park reservoir which was obtained
from j. A. Whiting. Every bit of this
water will be put through the new ditch
and used on the lands and mesas men,
toned above. That a great demand
exists for this water the company has
abundant assurance already and they
believe that in time this canal is des-
tined to become the largest carrier of
water in Delta county. The Leon Lake
and Trickle Park reservoirs-tw of the
largest and with the hest watersheds
of any on the mesa-will be in the
create st demand for water for the new
canal 1t would be too expensive to
run the Surface Creek reservoir water
over to Surface Creek high enough to
get into the canal. The Leon and Park
reservoirs are well built and have a
certainty of filling which makes them
admirable for water supply.
There is little cause for alarm on
Surface Creek that this will presage
shortage of water in our valley. This
water which is being taken over to
Payne and Rogers mesas is almost
wholly the excess water which for SO
long has been idle here. AS is well
known water stock has been drag on
the market, the price remaining nearly
the same year after year with no de-
mand. Indeed as we all know it has
been great deal cheaper to rent water
than to own it. The reservoirs on the
hill have not as yet carried anywhere
near their capacities and our people
have not as yet found it incumbent on
them to enlarge enough to secure the
vast amount of water which annually
goes to waste in the spring.
The men back of the Surface Creek
Highline canal are r. w. Curtis. C.
S Blanchard, Clarence Dillon and Phil
Stephens of Cedaredge. The surveys
we're made last fall, the surveying
party being out about month The
ditch is designed to carry the full filing
nearly hundred feet of water per
second. The canal will be about nine
miles in length and will go through
some of the prettiest ditching country
on the mesa. Through its length the
canal will be exposed to the sun and as
it las a grade of 27 feet to the mile it
will be easy to keep in repair. 1t goes
through no country which will ever
slide and all in all it is one of the safest
ditching propositions in the county.
The canal has its inception in the
mind of Mr.. Stephens who. by this and
other work here, has proven him self
one of the best engineers on the West
ern Slope. After satisfying himself Of
the feasibility of the scheme, he saw
that considerable money would be
needed and interested the rest of the
company in the proposition. Complete
surveys with large party was made
and the promoters were fully satisfied
of the merit of the scheme.
Work will be commenced in the
spring and by the middle or last of
August it is confidently expected that
water will be running through the new
ditch, the cost of which is estimated at