Platteville Irrigating and Milling Company Ditch-Wide
Historical Water Use Analysis Aurora, Colorado
The Platteville Irrigating and Milling Company provides irrigation water to shareholders
through the Platteville Ditch near Fort Lupton, Colorado.
Increasing urbanization and industrialization in the vicinity of the Platteville Ditch
has generated a need for shareholders to understand the value of their water rights.
In addition, the City of Aurora has acquired an interest in the Platteville Ditch, and
required an evaluation of the potential transfer of water to municipal uses.
As a result of the convergence of needs between Aurora and Platteville Ditch shareholders,
Deere & Ault was contracted to conduct a historical consumptive use analysis on
the entire Platteville Ditch System.
The Ditch-Wide analysis in this project included conducting landowner surveys, evaluating
irrigation efficiency, and identifying changes in the use of Platteville Ditch water over
the history of the system.
Deere & Ault used aerial photography dating back to the 1930s to identify
historically irrigated acreage, and used a GIS analysis to track changes in field
configurations and irrigated acreages through the ditch history.
Deere & Ault staff then used advanced modeling techniques to calculate the
historical consumptive use of water under the Platteville Ditch System. This information
has helped both Aurora and the Platteville Ditch shareholders to make informed decisions
regarding their future use of Platteville Ditch water.
