This renewable resource is delivered to the Grand Valley by a system of canals every year. Some of this water is diverted for irrigation and landscaping. The portion that is not consumed is returned to the Colorado River.
The movement of this water as it returns across property can sometimes cause problems. For more than a century, the Grand Valley Drainage District has worked for the residents of the grand valley to make sure that people’s land, crops, and homes were safe from drainage problems.
The Grand Valley Drainage District is a Special District that is a division of local government. Formed on September 7, 1915, the district is responsible for safely returning ground water, irrigation water and storm water to the Colorado River.
Grand Valley Drainage District is vital because:
In the early 1900’s, The Bureau of Reclamation began funding the construction of a series of open drains to handle the abundant irrigation tail water and subsurface seep conditions caused by new canals and irrigation laterals. Today, this drainage system consists of over 260 miles of open and piped drains and over 14 miles of tailpipes throughout Mesa County and is maintained by Grand Valley Drainage District. The GVDD service area includes the lands from Palisade to Loma on the North side of the Colorado River.