<\/p>\n
An explosion of tumbleweeds this year is clogging up irrigation canals, sometimes blocking the flow of water completely.<\/p>\n
Irrigation crews have been spending a lot of time clearing clogged intakes and removing the nuisance from under low bridges and along canal curves.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor some reason, they are a real problem this year,\u201d said Ken Curtis, an engineer with the Dolores Water Conservancy District. \u201cWe\u2019re spending more time than usual clearing out our canals.\u201d<\/p>\n
The district retrofitted equipment to handle the mess. An ingenious traveling screen system works to remove tumbleweeds and debris from canals.<\/p>\n
Spikes were welded onto a moving screen to pick up floating and drowned weeds in the canal. The device then drops the captured weeds onto a conveyor belt that dumps them to the side.<\/p>\n
The huge piles are burned when conditions are good. The screen also filters out pond weed and algae.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt had been piling up at Ruin Canyon so much it was starting to erode the banks,\u201d said Gary Croke, an DWCD electrician on tumbleweed patrol. \u201cI\u2019m going there next.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crews deploy a boom truck for larger blockages. The crane was modified with giant tumbleweed \u201csalad tongs\u201d that can pick up large loads and pile them for burning.<\/p>\n
To prevent loss of water through seepage, some canals have also been lined with a durable propylene membrane provided by Simbeck and Associates, of Mancos.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re durable, last a long time and work well for sections with seepage problems,\u201d Curtis said. \u201cWe\u2019re lucky to have a local company that provides them.\u201d<\/p>\n