Price Ditch

The main conveyance vessel for the Palisade Irrigation District is the Price Ditch. Its maximum capacity is between 70 and 80 cfs. It is the backbone of the District serving most all the laterals within the District. The Price Ditch isn’t really a ditch at all any more. The water actually flows through a large diameter concrete pipe beginning at the Price/Stub pump house located at the discharge of Tunnel Number 3 of the Government Highline Canal and flowing generally east. The Price Ditch contains about 22 check structures that create the necessary water surface elevation to provide water to the field and lateral turnouts.

The Price Ditch was piped in the mid 1990s as part of the Salinity Program. Water flows through the Price Ditch and generally delivers directly to irrigation delivery boxes that then discharge to field or lateral turnouts. The delivery boxes, of which there are about 200 in number, typically contain canal slide gates of varying sizes from 6” to 18” diameter. The Salinity Program piped about 65 laterals that were previously privately owned and in open ditch. Water users were asked to provide an easement for installation, operation and maintenance of the piped lateral and relinquish control to PID. Water users choosing not to participate in the Salinity Program operate and maintain their own pipe systems or open ditches. The combined length of the 65 Salinity Program improved laterals is about 70 miles. The laterals are comprised of underground PVC pipeline in diameters ranging from 2” to 18”.