Grand Valley Water Users Association

– ‘Effective immediately, water restrictions are in place for ALL properties and all rides. Water delivery will be limited to 1 (one) CFS per 40 (forty) acres.  This restriction is reflective of the Articles of Incorporation of Grand Valley Water Users Association, section 7, which read: ‘The amount of water to be delivered to such owner shall be that proportionate part to all the water available for distribution by the Association during any irrigation season…’ Restrictions will remain in place until adequate supplies are secured allowing all water users additional volume.

– Every Property in Every Ride will be Restricted.

– Please contact your ditch rider for specific information on water delivery in your area.

Water Availability for 2026 Irrigation Season—August 4^th

The following water storage has been secured and is now being used to supplement the natural flow of the river to meet our now 1450 cfs target flow at Cameo. (Please note that is 500 cfs LOWER than the combined water rights of 1950 cfs known as the Cameo Call):

• 29,722 AF of storage that is relatively flexible and can be used to meet the large releases necessary to meet, or approach, our 1450 target flow. This includes the water being shepherded from Colorado Water Trust from QB Energy and the City of Palisade, The water from Granby sent by Grand County and Northern Water for agricultural use, and water from the River District to support the Grand Valley and upstream HUP beneficiaries. We are grateful for their support.
• There is an additional 8600 AF of HUP storage in GMR. We won’t be able to release this at the rates we may need based on the Heeney Slide provisions, but will continue to release as allowed. 

Our goal is to hold to the 1450 cfs Cameo flow until 9/1, and based on current deliveries, this will allows us to have an AVERAGE of about 550 cfs of releases from storage every day until 9/1.

We will remain in restriction likely for the rest of the season, or until fall weather sets in and bolsters river flows.

Please contact your ditch rider for questions on water delivery in your ride.

As always, I’m at your service to answer any questions you may have.

Tina Bergonzini

General Manager

*The Grand Valley Water Users Association stands firmly with our commissioner and our water users.*

The Colorado River is governed by law. By the 1922 Compact. By federal statutes and operating guidelines layered over more than a century. It is governed by infrastructure built to store, move, and deliver water across seven states under an agreed framework of rights and responsibilities that distributes water, risk and economic security.

That framework matters. The Colorado River Compact was not a suggestion; it is an executed contract. It divided the basin into Upper and Lower divisions and promised each an equitable apportionment of use. That agreement enabled the massive public works system that transformed the American Southwest, allowing cities to rise and irrigated agriculture to flourish and the Grand Valley to grow into the thriving community it is today. The legal foundation of this system is not who is largest or most politically influential, the foundation is a contract that allows each basin to develop its share of water as it sees fit.

This week, the Lower Basin governors released a joint statement regarding failure to reach a seven-state agreement by a February 14th deadline. Their statement emphasized the scale of their populations, economies, and agricultural output. But Compact apportions water equitably between geographic regions, not based on population, economic scale, or political influence. The Lower Basin’s statements seem to make an assumption that mismanaging this vital resource has somehow made them entitled to more of that same resource from Colorado while we have coveted, protected, and managed our water appropriately.

It was Colorado that first proposed the 1922 Compact, recognizing that only a binding agreement would allow our economies, our farms and our cities to prosper. And it is Colorado that finds itself defending that same agreement as the lower Basin governors call for “shared contribution” from all seven states.

When the Lower Basin states call for collaboration and shared contribution, they are asking Colorado to move beyond the Compact’s allocation framework, to absorb economic risk and uncertainty that would constrain our ability to farm, to grow our economies, and to use the water apportioned to the Upper Basin, of which only 60 percent has been developed.

Fortunately, Colorado’s lead negotiator is the bulldog we need in this moment. Becky Mitchell understands what is at stake and has refused, under pressure from environmental groups, from other states, and even from a few within Colorado, to acquiesce to demands that will injure Colorado and the Grand Valley.

GVWUA has participated in past pilot projects exploring voluntary, temporary and compensated conservation and been willing participants in numerous water-saving endeavors. The determined and nimble producers in the Grand Valley understand the importance of conservation, living within what the river provides, and they acknowledge a drier and hotter climate will bring changes to their operations and to our communities. However, the Lower Basin states need to recognize these hydrologic realities and make the changes necessary to correct the system they have failed through chronic and continued overuse. GVWUA will not ask our producers to bear the burden of Lower Basin mismanagement and their continued denial of the realities in front of them.

When we are confident that true conservation efforts are being discussed; programs that support not only the Lower Basin producers, but the Upper Basin’s users as well, we will be ready to support our commissioner and be part of the real work of supporting our neighboring Lower Basin states while they fix what they have broken.

Samantha Barncastle was recently featured on the Fill Your Plate Now podcast to discuss the critical role water plays in sustaining agriculture across the West.

Drawing on more than 17 years in water law and her background as part of a multigenerational farming family, Sam explains why Western irrigated agriculture produces a significant share of the nation’s fruits, vegetables, nuts, and dairy – and why reliable water delivery is essential to keeping that system functioning.

The conversation highlights the growing challenges facing farmers and ranchers, including aging infrastructure, regulatory delays, litigation pressures, and broader economic headwinds. At the same time, it points to opportunities through innovation, from precision irrigation to new crop development and collaborative solutions.

This episode offers a clear look at how water policy connects directly to food security, rural economies, and the long-term resilience of communities across the 17 Western states.

Why the West’s Irrigated Farms Are Critical to America’s Food Security, Episode 62 – YouTube

Zebra Mussels and the Government Highline Canal

As we respond to this new threat, we appreciate our water user’s diligence and willingness to keep an eye out for anything that appears suspect to them. Zebra mussels can cause extensive and expensive damage to our system unlike anything we’ve deal with before.

The picture taken on the paper towel are of native Corbicula clams not zebra mussels. The picture of the mussel on the person’s hand are zebra mussels and the pest we need you to watch for!

We would rather you send us pictures of native, non-harmful species and risk being wrong then send no pictures at all!

Never hesitate to reach out to our office staff at info@gvwua.com or your ditch rider with questions or concerns.