How much water do I have?

Farmers Ditch shareholders each own an interest in the ditch company. This interest entitles them to a portion of the water that is diverted into the ditch. The amount of water that a shareholder can use is based on the amount of water the ditch can physically and legally divert.

On average the Farmers Ditch diverts water from mid-April to late August. Diversions begin when there is sufficient demand to turn on the ditch, and end when water levels in the creek drop too low.

Currently the Farmers Ditch is limited PHYSICALLY by a number of "pinch" points along the ditch. Due to these restrictions the ditch does not divert more than 35 CFS. At this flow rate the ditch is considered "FULL" and you can determine your portion of the water based on the chart below:

At other times the Farmers Ditch is limited LEGALLY by the water rights system in Colorado. During this time the ditch cannot divert it's full amount due to demands from other ditches. Farmers Ditch is then prorated based on the demand, and each shareholder is equally prorated accordingly. Eventually this leads to the ditch being completely shut down. Unfortunately these changes are difficult or impossible to predict and the ditch can be shut down with little to no notice. You can find out more about Colorado's water rights system here.