With water supplies falling short, the Dolores Water Conservancy District Board faced a split decision over how to distribute scarce irrigation water.
After a tie vote, the board voted again and divided the available supply between Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Farm and Ranch Enterprises and full-service irrigators on northern farms in Yellow Jacket, Pleasant View, Cahone and toward Dove Creek.
About 385 acre-feet of extra municipal and industrial water will go to Ute Farm and Ranch, and another 385 acre-feet will go to northern farms. An acre-foot, the common unit in water management, can cover about 2 to 4 acres of farmland in the county and potentially 3 acres in warmer, drier areas like Towaoc.
The decision came during the district board’s regular meeting at its offices, 60 S. Cactus St.
The board deadlocked on an initial vote before reaching a compromise. In addition to lease decisions, the meeting covered current water supplies, the weather outlook, district finances, legal issues and updates such as the Colorado River deal.
Much of the meeting focused on managing very limited water allocations in a drier, warmer year, with river flows unable to meet full demands. At one point, board members used a whiteboard to sketch scenarios and crunch numbers as they weighed competing needs, working through calculations in real time.
Eric Sprague, the district’s water resources manager, presented the current weather outlook.
March was the warmest in 132 years of record-keeping, mirroring trends seen in February, Sprague said. His presentation included a drought outlook map showing much of Colorado shaded red, signaling widespread dryness statewide.
The water allocation picture remains an estimate. Runoff is occurring and ahead of schedule, but models continue to adjust as the river flows, with final numbers not expected until late June or July.
Ken Curtis, general manager of the Dolores Water Conservancy District, described the early figures as “a moving target,” noting they are forecasts that could change as weather conditions shift and the board reallocates water.
Curtis said current estimates show full-service farmers receiving about 3 inches out of 22 inches in a fully stocked year, or roughly 14% of the full supply. Ute Farm and Ranch is in a similar range.
Montezuma Valley Irrigation Co. farmers, mainly those closer to Cortez and Lewis-Arriola, are estimated to receive about 60% of their supply because of senior water rights.
Board members said there is no clear solution for irrigators on either end of the system and warned the district could run out of water by midsummer. One board member said, “It’s gonna be ugly.” Another responded, “It will be OK.”
Ute Mountain Tribe Farm and Ranch General Manager Simon Martinez urged the board to consider the farm’s needs, saying it has thousands of acres to cultivate but water for only a portion.
“We did start watering yesterday,” Martinez said. “We did 750 acres of hay out of 2,600 acres that we can water. If there are any questions, this would just add to the pool.
Martinez said the farm faces major financial obligations in water bills and operating costs and that additional water would help sustain production. If conditions improve in the fall and a strong El Niño develops, he said, everyone could benefit.
“Like everybody else, it's hard to drive by the field and not see any water for it,” Martinez said.
Some board members argued against leasing all the water to Ute Farm and Ranch, noting northern farmers rely entirely on river flows and monsoon rains, while the Ute Farm may have other leasing options.
“I guess what I am getting at is the full-service farmer has no other (leasing) options, but you guys have some flexibility, you said maybe in May you might have options,” said board President Godwin Oliver.
The board initially tied 3-3 on a proposal to lease 770 acre-feet of water to the Ute Farm. Don Schwindt, who voted against the motion, said the vote reflected broader tensions across the district.
“I appreciate the discussion and the dialogue between the south and the north,” Schwindt said. “We are in a tough place, and I think this three-legged stool is very important to save this community in a tough year.”
After additional discussion and calculations, board members chose to divide the available supply rather than award it to a single group.
awatson@the-journal.com
