Irrigation Water

A small ditch full of water runs between heavily vegetated banks and under a grate.

Water to support agricultural uses on the property is provided from the North Boulder Farmer’s Ditch, which diverts water from Boulder Creek and crosses the northwest corner of the property.  The Fort Chambers / Poor Farm property was conveyed with 340.8 total shares of ditch company water.  


North Boulder Farmers Ditch has an initial June 1, 1862 decree date and is eleventh in priority off of Boulder Creek. Subsequent enlargements of the service area have decree dates of June 1, 1863 (#20 in priority) and June 1, 1864 (#24 in priority). Over the past twenty years, this ditch has averaged 154 days of service with a yield of 0.87-acre feet of water per share. The length of the season is variable, with diversions affected by drought, soil moisture, size and water content of the snowpack, speed of runoff and summer precipitation. In dry years, the yield per share and the length of irrigation season are diminished, averaging 0.47-acre feet per share and 117 days of service.  

Three headgates off the North Boulder Farmers Ditch serve to irrigate approximately 32 irrigable acres. The southernmost gate is used to divert water to the vegetable production areas via an irrigation pond that was constructed by the City of Boulder in 2019. The middle and north headgates are used to irrigate the remaining hay fields and pasture via flood irrigation.  

Fort Chambers-Poor Farm Property Boundary

Headgates

Hydrology

Irrigable Fields

Current
mapContainer
500 m
1,000 ft
Source: Esri, U.S. Census Bureau | City of Boulder | Boulder County Parks and Open Space
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