<\/p>\n
Long after the flames of the 2012 Weber fire were put out, destruction continued in the form of erosion and flooding on area farms.<\/p>\n
Farmers and ranchers of lower Weber Canyon rely on the Weber Ditch, which now fills with mud during heavy rains causing flooding on the roads.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow every time it rains, we have to take time to clean out the ditches,\u201d said farmer Dee Graf. \u201cWater is being lost down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n
To the solve the problem, farmers teamed up with the National Resource Conservation Service, and the Mancos Soil Conservation District, to replace the Weber Ditch with a pipeline with modern turnouts for water users.<\/p>\n
NRCS, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is putting approximately $250,000 towards the project, said Joel Lee, NRCS district conservationist.<\/p>\n
Approximately 13 farmers who rely on the ditch are contributing a 25-50 percent match.<\/p>\n
Patrick Clements, a Mancos soil conservation technician, has been drawing up plans for the project, which is expected to be installed this fall after the farming season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big project. We\u2019re converting about 7,000 feet of ditch to pipeline to solve the sediment problem,\u201d he said. \u201cWater delivery will be more efficient with less evaporation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Converting ditches to pipelines is also effective salinity control, Clements said.<\/p>\n
Besides all the mud in the ditch, Lower Weber canyon has also seen boulders from the burn scar roll onto the road and hay farms.<\/p>\n
The 2012 Weber fire scorched 10,133 acres south of Mancos and cost $5.8 million to put out. It was started by a juvenile.<\/p>\n
Costs from the fire continue, and the new pipeline is part of the ongoing recovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still not cheap to put in the pipeline, but without the NRCS program it would have been too expensive,\u201d Graf said. \u201cThe cost share made it feasible.\u201d<\/p>\n