10/20/2025
PUBLIC INFORMATION: Colorado Launches Diversion Measurement Installation Program – No-Cost Devices for Water Users on the Western Slope
(Denver) – The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) is announcing the launch of a new program to install diversion measurement structures on the Western Slope at no cost to water users. Utilizing $7 million in federal funding, the structures will allow Colorado to improve water management within the Upper Colorado River Basin.
“Accurate and effective measurement of diversions on the West Slope is critical to protect Colorado’s apportionment of water for our water users,” said Colorado State Engineer Jason Ullmann. “This funding is critical to helping those on the Western Slope meet the challenges of water management in the West."
The Diversion Measurement Installation Program will be administered by the CWCB, in coordination with the Division of Water Resources (DWR) and a hired consultant, SGM. Eligible water users will have a measurement structure installed at their point of diversion, at no cost to them. A diversion measurement structure is a device installed at or near a point where water is diverted from a river, stream, or ditch, in order to accurately measure the volume or flow rate of water being diverted. Common examples include flumes and weirs.
Water users with a missing or faulty measurement device may apply to the CWCB for a measurement device to be installed at their point of diversion, free of charge. To be eligible, their legal water right must be actively put to beneficial use. The Program does not include the installation of headgates or other diversion structures.
“It’s a win for Colorado that we can use this funding to help water users with the costs of a measurement device,” said Upper Colorado River Commissioner Becky Mitchell. Mitchell voted to approve the use of federal funding for diversion measurement at a November 2024 meeting of the Upper Colorado River Commission (UCRC), as part of the UCRC’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Spend Plan.
Because the Program is federally funded through the UCRC, it is limited to the Upper Colorado River Basin. It covers streamflow diversions in Colorado’s Gunnison River Basin (DWR Division 4), the Colorado River Basin (DWR Division 5), the Yampa and White River Basins (DWR Division 6, excluding the North Platte), and the San Juan and Dolores River Basins (DWR Division 7).
The Program comes at a time when DWR is implementing new water measurement rules on the Western Slope. The new rules will provide clarity on acceptable water measurement devices.
Anna Ryken, the Diversion Measurement program manager for CWCB, is committed to ensuring that the Program adapts to lessons learned and the needs of West Slope water users. “We’re working with water users to make sure that this program works for them,” Ryken said. “We want this to be a success – for water users and for Colorado.”
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Applications for measurement structures in Divisions 6 and 7 will be made available later this year. CWCB has two upcoming public meetings to provide additional information and assist with applications. The Division 6 meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 4, from 3:30 to 6:00 at the Colorado Northwestern Community College, 2801 W 9th St, Craig, CO 81625. The Division 7 meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 12, from 3:30 to 6:00 at the Florida Grange, 656 Highway 172, Durango, CO 81303. Virtual options are available for both meetings; please see cwcb.colorado.gov/diversionmeasurement for Zoom links.
Applications for Divisions 4 and 5 will be made available in 2026. Further application rounds will be available in 2027 and 2028. All structures will be installed by 2029, when the federal funding authorization expires.
Interested water users may submit a Statement of Interest form, available at cwcb.colorado.gov/diversionmeasurement, to be kept informed on the Program’s timeline. Questions may be sent to [email protected].
