More than 40 years after a mapping blunder, will Congress finally remedy Bolts Ditch situation?
House Subcommittee on Federal Lands hears testimony from Eagle County water leader
Eagle River Water and Sanitation District/Courtesy photo
On Wednesday, Jan. 31, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands of the House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing that included the Bolts Ditch Act. The act would allow the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District and the Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority to use, repair and maintain Bolts Ditch.
Siri Roman, general manager of the district and authority, testified before the subcommittee in support of the act.
Bolts Ditch was mistakenly included within the Holy Cross Wilderness when it was mapped in 1980. This prevented local municipalities from maintaining and using the ditch, which was created to fill a water storage reservoir that was originally constructed in the early 1900s.
“While the Bolts Ditch diversion structure is only 450 feet within the Holy Cross boundary, the wilderness designation prevents its continued use, maintenance, and repair,” Roman said in her testimony.
Rep. Joe Neguse, who represents Colorado’s 2nd District, which includes most of Eagle County, authored legislation to permit special authorization to the town of Minturn for nonmotorized access to use, maintain, and repair the Bolts Ditch structure. That legislation, part of the the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act was passed in 2019 by Congress and signed into law.
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In 2021, the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District and the Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority bought the rights to Bolts Ditch and Bolts Lake with the intention to create a reservoir capable of storing up to 1,200 acre feet of water.
Eagle County is located at the headwaters of the Colorado River basin, and receives approximately 80% of its precipitation in the form of snowfall, Roman said in her testimony. As a result, “the vast majority of the annual water supply reaches our local stream systems within a very short period of time during spring snowmelt. A reservoir to capture the spring runoff is essential to provide water on a year-round basis for our residents and visitors,” Roman said.
Bolts Ditch, Roman said, “is an essential filling source for the new Bolts Lake Reservoir.”
The Bolts Ditch Act, H.R. 4297, is an amendment to the Dingell Act that would authorize the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District and the Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority to operate, maintain, and repair Bolts Ditch through nonmotorized means. The Bolts Ditch Act was first introduced into the House of Representatives by Neguse and Doug Lamborn, who represents Colorado’s fifth district in the House, on June 22, 2023.
“The Bolts Ditch Act is simple. It’s a simple amendment to the Dingell Act, granting the district and authority the same access as the town of Minturn,” Roman said.
The town of Minturn showed its support for the Bolts Ditch Act both in writing and in person. Minturn Town Manager Michelle Meteer accompanied Roman to Washington, and was in the room during the hearing.
“What benefits do you think would flow from this particular change to Eagle County, writ large?” Neguse asked Roman.
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“As we know, the water picture is very variable in the West … and what this will do is help us store that snowmelt so that we can release it, because it is drier, warmer, we’re having longer summers,” Roman replied.
“And then we can release those flows and augment our rivers in the fall. Really, the whole Colorado system will benefit from this project,” Roman said.
“I think the bill makes a lot of sense, and I’m hoping we can get it done in short order,” Neguse said.
