The Uncompahgre Multibenefit Project received funding from numerous sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Reclemation’s WaterSMART Program, the Colorado Water Conservation Board Colorado Water Plan grants, the Colorado Water Supply Reserve Fund, the Colorado River District, Ward Water Group, and American Rivers. The project restores a mile-long section of river between Ridgway and Ouray, Colorado, supporting aquifer recharge, agriculture, and native riverside vegetation in the river corridor.
This project has wide-reaching benefits for area irrigators, downstream water users, and the local riverside habitat. For example, updating and stabilizing the Ward Ditch headgate and ditch will ensure efficient delivery of water for irrigation, and lower the cost of accessing water while boosting water management in the area. Reconnecting the river to its floodplain will help absorb high water, filter out heavy metals, and help reduce the amount of pollutants from any upstream wildfire that could wash into Ridgway Reservoir, mitigating contamination of downstream water supplies. Additionally, enabling the river to flow onto its floodplain during spring runoff will support local aquifer recharge, and support the health of riverside vegetation.
This project provides an excellent model of the kind of multi-benefit project that can enhance drought resilience in the Colorado River Basin.
The project is supported by local landowners and water users, American Rivers, the Colorado River District, the state of Colorado, and the Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership. It broke ground in spring 2025 and will wrap up in November 2025.
