Cottonwood Park in Mancos is now receiving irrigation water.
The town recently learned they own two water rights, a .3 cubic feet per second (cfs) allocation and a .67 cfs allocation, from an irrigation ditch on the park's northern border.
"Right now we are just flood irrigating, but the plan is to budget for piping and infrastructure to use it more efficiently," said town manager Andrea Phillips.
A meter was installed to insure the correct draw. The water rights date to when the park was obtained by the town.
In other water news:
The Mancos Streets Department is working to install new water meters town-wide. The project is funded through a grant with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, along with a local match from town funds. Three quarters of the new lead-free meters have been installed to date. Streets staff will be rebuilding close to 100 water meter pits this spring and summer to complete the project. The new water meters are equipped with meter reading software that allows town staff to drive by to collect the readings.
Monthly meter reading throughout town used to take two days and now town staff will be able to read the entire town's meters in only an hour. The new meters are also more accurate in detecting water usage. Some water customers may notice a difference in their water bills after the new meter is installed. Through this project, the town's water usage will be more accurate and will save staff time.
Also crews are mobilizing and conducting initial earthwork for the Mancos water system improvement project. This project involves construction of a new 430,000 gallon water-storage tank, improvements to the pump house, installation of a backup power switch, and new water lines near the plant. This million dollar project is funded by local funds, contribution from a local developer, a loan from the USDA Rural Development Office, and a grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. The project is being managed by Action Direct LLC dba Redpoint Contracting. The goal end date for the project is late August.