Grand Valley Diversion Dam

The Grand Valley Diversion Dam is a diversion dam in the De Beque Canyon of the Colorado River, about 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Grand Junction, Colorado in the United States. It is a 14-foot (4.3 m) high, 546-foot (166 m) long concrete roller dam with six gates, which were the first and largest of their kind to be installed in the United States.[3]

Grand Valley Diversion Dam
LocationMesa County, near Palisade, Colorado, United States
Coordinates39°11′20″N 108°16′55″W
Construction began1913
Opening date1916
Dam and spillways
Type of damRoller gate weir
ImpoundsColorado River
Height14 ft (4.3 m)[1]
Length546 ft (166 m)[1]
Power Station
Commission date1933[1]
Installed capacity3,000 KW[1]
Annual generation19,350,600 KWh[1]
Grand Valley Diversion Dam
Nearest cityPalisade, Colorado
Coordinates39°11′20″N 108°16′53″W
Area4.8 acres (1.9 ha)
Built1913
Built byU.S. Reclamation Service
Architectural styleRoller-gate dam
NRHP reference No.91001485[2]
Added to NRHPOctober 8, 1991

The dam was built between 1913 and 1916 as part of the Grand Valley Project of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and diverts water into the Government Highline Canal for the full irrigation of 33,368 acres (13,504 ha) and supplemental irrigation to 8,600 acres (3,500 ha) in western Colorado's Grand Valley.[1] A small hydroelectric plant with a capacity of 3,000 kilowatts (KW) was completed in 1933 on the Orchard Mesa Power Canal, a branch of the Government Highline Canal.[1] In 1949, the dam and canal system were transferred to the Grand Valley Water Users Association, while the power plant was consigned to the Orchard Mesa Irrigation District.[1]

Grand Valley Diversion Dam was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 8, 1991.[4]

References

  1. "Grand Valley Project". U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 2011-05-10. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. "Bureau of Reclamation projects on the National Register of Historical Places in Colorado". U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  4. "Grand Valley Diversion Dam". National Register of Historic Places. U.S. National Park Service. 2012-06-09. Archived from the original on 2013-02-20. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
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