“The Ditch” on Berthoud Pass

The little stone bridge at the Summit is hard to see, but it is still used both by U.S. Highway 40 and the Berthoud Pass Ditch. When viewed from the north side of the road, and behind the new wetland constructed as part of the U. S. Highway 40 widening project, the bridge can be seen and is the same design as three others on the Grand County side of the Pass.

A culvert funnels the water from the Ditch under this bridge and across U.S. Highway 40.

The Berthoud Pass Ditch is now owned by the City of Northglenn. The ditch has long been a part of the history of Grand County and Berthoud Pass.

Jean Miller wrote about the ditch on Grand County History website (www.grandcountyhistory.inf.) under Water from the Mountains: “The next effort occurred also in 1889. This privately financed plan was to develop a two-branched canal system that would move 700 second feet of water to a half-mile tunnel just beneath Berthoud Pass at over 11,000 feet, thence down to Clear Creek and on to the Golden area. Initial surveys were begun that fall and roads laid out the following year. The effort bogged down but was resurrected in 1900 under the Agricultural Ditch Co., supplemented in 1902 with the Berthoud Canal Co. The canal was partially completed by the Frank Church family ranching interests of Jefferson County by 1906. The ditch, which can be walked today, runs from Second Creek to Berthoud Pass, though it no longer carries much water. However, the Church Ditch water rights coming from Clear Creek still exist and today are owned by Northglenn.”

Note: A copy of the photo on the right was given to the author many years ago and the source was not identified except that it was the Berthoud Pass Ditch pipe.

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In April 1923, J. V. Leighou, Forest Supervisor of the Arapaho National Forest wrote in a letter to Forest Officers: “There is being sent you an outline in book form which has been compiled to date in this office, on Historical Data, which has been received from various sources.”

Under “Water Diversion and Water Development - Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company “Under an easement approved in 1907, water is collected from tributaries on the west side of the Fraser River and through a short tunnel at Berthoud Pass is diverted into a Hoop Creek, a tributary of Clear Creek. The canal extends north of Berthoud Pass to First Creek. The amount of water thus diverted is not known.”

The following information was taken from the Berthoud Pass Assessment - Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests - Clear Creek and Grand Counties, Colorado - May 14, 2004

“Hoop Creek Ditch – The City of Northglenn owns and operates (along with the City of Golden) the Hoop Creek Ditch and the associated water conveyance system. The system starts with the Hoop Creek Ditch, which is located on the west side of the divide and is denoted on maps as the ‘Berthoud Pass Ditch or Aqueduct. The ditch was constructed in the early 1900’s and pre-dates the reservation of the National Forest. Because of its status the U.S. Forest Service has limited authority to manage and regulate this use. The ditch collects water from the west slope through an open ditch and carries it to the Berthoud Pass parking lot. Typical flow rates vary from 5-30 cubic feet per second (cfs). At the parking lot the water is conveyed underground through a pipe that daylights on the east side of the divide. The east side portion of the system has no improvements. The water is discharged into the natural stream channel of Hoop Creek. The addition of 5-30 cfs into this system over the past 100 years has severely degraded the condition.”

On the August 1967 Arapaho National Forest drawing of the Berthoud Pass Ski Area, it shows the Farmers Reserve and Irrigation Co Easement (C-011698) canal passing under U.S. Highway 40.

The blue arrows are the ditch, the orange are U. S. Highway 40, the green is the Lodge and yellow is the service road to the top of the chair lift..

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The Colorado Department of Transportation ROW (Right-of-way) drawing on the left is dated 1961. It shows the ditch as it crosses the parking lot at the Summit.

Note the location of the buildings that used to be there, including the Lodge, maintenance buildings and down by the ditch a frame tool shed.

Visitors to Grand County often think that the straight line on the mountain to the west of U. S. Highway 40 is a high mountain road, but it is really the “Ditch”. In the past the ditch water was used for drinking water and irrigation. Today the water is used for drinking water by the City of Golden and Northglenn. The City of Golden water is stored in the Guanella Reservoir just west of Empire and the Northglenn water travels though Clear Creek and is stored in the Stanley Reservoir.

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These two photos were taken before the City of Northglenn made improvements to the ditch.

The top photo shows the ditch as it goes under U. S. Highway 40.

This photo shows the ditch with the Lodge in the background.

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In 2007, the City of Northglenn made repairs to the ditch that goes under the parking lot. Below are photos they let the author take during the work project. In the bottom photos, are remains of the old pipe before the new cement ones were added.

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