Ribbon cutting celebration for Green River Diversion

By PATSY STODDARD Editor

The Green River Diversion dam was officially opened on May 11 on the banks of the Green River on the Long Street side. Roger Barton from the San Rafael Conservation District welcomed everyone to the ceremony. “I am excited to see so many here. The Green River High School and Green River residents, Rep. Brad King and Sen. David Hinkins. We would like to recognize them for their help with the funding of the project. LuAnn Adams from the Dept. of Agriculture is in attendance.”
The first dam was built on the site in 1905. It washed away in not even a year’s time. A German man by the name of George Thurmon said he knew how to do it, so the horseshoe shaped structure was built. As a child, he had visited Holland with his father and watched a dike there being built. He remembered how it was shaped and put this knowledge to use on the Green River. This structure has lasted since that time. In the spring floods of 2011, damage was sustained to the structure and it was time to replace the structure. The structure was undercut by the high waters and would only be a matter of time before it failed.
At this time a number of partners got together to see what help they could get to rebuild the dam. The Natural Resource Conservation district was able to secure emergency funding for the project. This funding was 75 percent of the cost.
The Green River community came together more than 100 years ago to build the second diversion at the site. Everyone rallied around and they held picnics after the work was completed. The community again came together for this new project. All the major irrigators on the Green River were involved.
David Brown from the NRCS said he was glad they were able to secure the funds for the project and watch it come together. “I am proud to have access to the programs that can help communities recover and protect our natural resources. It’s great to see the community come together to celebrate this project. We were a couple of years in the environmental process and there was concern about the integrity of the diversion. Things came up, the boat passage and the fish passage. On behalf of the NRCS we are excited to be a part of this project this day.
Adams spoke to those gathered, she thanked the irrigation companies and everyone that came together on the project. Everyone helped with the project to keep the parks, fields, farms and ranches in Green River, green. She emphasized the project will help protect the future of Green River.
Von Bowerman and Lee Thayn thanked Marc Stilson from the division of water rights. He said Marc said to quit fighting and build a dam. Craig Johansen came down on his own more than 20 times to help get the funding for the project. He was on the state water board and helped get the money for the feasibility study. Dean King helped out. The project was 10 years in the making. Nearing the end of the project a final push for money was needed. This is when Sen. Hinkins and Rep. King stepped up with the Utah legislature and found the money. They thanked Roger Barton for all his help on the project as the project supervision was dumped on him. Roger has been sick, but still stepped up to get the project done. Everyone from the dog catcher to Pres. Obama’s office has been involved in the project.
Sen. Hinkins thanked everyone who helped out, the settlers to our area had a great vision.
Gerber Construction was the contractor for the project. The project was completed from November to April and the water was in the east ditch by April 1 and into the west ditch a few days later.
LuAnn Adams from the Dept. of Agriculture submitted the following: If water is the life blood of the west, then the recently rehabilitated Green River Diversion dam is a major artery that helps distribute that blood to the Green River community that heavily relies on it. Following years of planning and six months of construction, the $7.7 million project has restored a secure source or irrigation water to a region so beholding to a single natural resource.
The Tusher diversion structure was initially built in the early 1900s to more efficiently divert water to irrigation canals that were originally constructed by early pioneers out of rocks, boulders, and shrubs. The dam also is the site of a hydroelectric power plant that dates back to the early 1900s. The canals and the hydro power all contribute to a quality of life and economic stability of the larger community of Green River. If you play soccer or baseball on irrigated ball fields, if you water your home gardens and lawns, and if you commercially grow melons, corn, or alfalfa, you are connected to the Green River and the diversion dam.
The completion of such an important project must be credited to the coordinated effort of some 30 local, state and federal entities such as: Green River City, USDA-NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service), The Green River Conservation District, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Thayn Hydro Power and Canal Co., Green River, Utah, Green River Canal Co, Eastside Canal Co., Utah Department of Natural Resources: Division of Water Resources; Division of Wildlife Resources; Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands; Division of State Parks and Recreation, Utah Department of Environmental Quality: Division of Water Quality, State of Utah DCFM, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The decision to repair the dam came after a 2010-2011 flood event on the Green that caused chipping of concrete, undercutting of the downstream foundation sediments, and cracks that could lead to structural failure. Funding for the project came from the USDA – NRCS’s Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program that responds to natural disasters.
Agriculture Benefits
Agriculture generates $20 million to the economies of Emery and Grand counties, with a large portion of that revenue tied to water from the Green River. More than 5,300 acres of farmland are irrigated with water that is diverted from the river thanks to the structure. Green River melons are well known in several Western states, and are a favorite of consumers at grocery stores and farmers markets. Aside from melons, alfalfa, corn and livestock also thrive on Green River water.
The dam includes an improved fish ladder system to protect endangered fish species. It also includes a new boat passage structure that allows rafts and boats to pass through, thereby improving safety for boaters. Gate structures were also installed to reduce the threat of upstream flooding.
Wildlife and Habitat Importance
The diversion-structure restoration design considers five federally listed threatened and endangered fish species. Currently, the Green River harbors the most robust population and two known, active spawning locations of the Colorado pikeminnow; two known population centers of the humpback chub; two known, active spawning locations of the razorback sucker and populations of stocked individuals of razorback sucker and bonytail. Restoration of the diversion structure includes carefully designed, fish passage and electronic monitoring components that will provide long-term observation and tracking for these important species. Recreational Importance
The 30 miles from Flaming Gorge to the Colorado River is the most popular section of the Green River for both boaters and anglers. Every year thousands navigate the river for its scenery and ideal fishing conditions. According to Nathan Fey, stewardship director with American Whitewater, the Tusher Diversion was the last impediment to the boating community as they made their way toward Utah’s Canyonlands. In the past, boaters would simply avoid the diversion because of the unsafe hydraulic conditions the obstacle produced.
The original dam is an example of pioneer ingenuity, and the refurbished structure modernizes this essential part of the Green River community. Never before had such a dam been built in the West. Due to its unique design, the diversion project has been determined eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places due to its design and importance to the establishment of Green River.
The completion of the rehabilitation project is a cause for celebration and acknowledgment of the cooperation of so many interested partners and its importance to the community.