Godfrey Diversion Restoration Partners Celebrating Project Completion with a Virtual Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
After several years of planning and collaboration, the Godfrey Diversion Restoration project is now complete. The Godfrey Diversion structure is located within the Middle South Platte River just southeast of Evans, Colorado in Weld County. The purpose of the project was to improve the resiliency of this section of the Middle South Platte River by designing and reconstructing the diversion structure to reduce backwater and sediment concerns, incorporate fish and recreational passage into the diversion structure, and regrade, stabilize, and revegetate the project area, while preserving the capacity of the diversion structure to divert the full decree of water to the ditch.
During the September 2013 flood, the original Godfrey Diversion structure was partially destroyed and required regular maintenance. It was also dangerous for the Godfrey Ditch Company to access the structure during high water events. The original structure created a 9-foot vertical drop in the river channel which inhibited fish passage, disrupted sediment transport and other natural river processes. Because of this, the diversion structure was identified as a priority project for restoration by the Middle South Platte River Alliance (MSPRA). The MSPRA was the original project sponsor and worked with the design-build team to bring the project to a construction-ready design. In December 2019, the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) took over as project sponsor and by fall 2020 the construction was complete.
“The Godfrey Ditch is excited to operate its new infrastructure for the 2021 irrigation season,” said Dan Gallen, the Godfrey Ditch Board Treasurer. “Furthermore, we are enthusiastic regarding the multitude of benefits resulting from the project such as increased operation efficiency and accuracy, increased safety for the Ditch Company staff and shareholders, and the assurance of operations to continue future shareholder deliveries.”
Not only has the resiliency of the Godfrey Diversion and South Platte River increased, but the fish passage structure now connects over 11 miles of the River to be fish passable, benefitting up to 11 different types of native fish species.
“Thanks to the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed and the Godfrey Ditch Company, the DOLA Watershed Resilience Pilot Program resulted in repair of approximately 5,000 linear feet of river and the Godfrey diversion structure that was damaged by the floods." said DOLA Executive Director Rick M. Garcia, "We are excited that the collaborative effort in this resiliency project will strengthen the South Platte River community for years to come."
The Godfrey Diversion Restoration project was funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery program. Project partners included Otak Inc., Naranjo Civil Constructors, Alpine Eco, the Godfrey Ditch Company, and the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed.
To celebrate the completion of the Godfrey Ditch Restoration project, the project team is holding a virtual ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, April 1 at 10:30am MST. Anyone interested in learning more about the project is encouraged to attend. Please visit CPRW’s event page to learn more: https://www.poudrewatershed.org/events/.