Congressman Salazar tours Jackson Gulch Rehabilitation project

Announces $2.6 million currently designated for critical water project in Mancos Valley

WASHINGTON, DC – During a tour today of the Jackson Gulch Rehabilitation project, Congressman John Salazar announced that the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development has voted in favor of a $2.6 million to save a critical water infrastructure for the residents of the Mancos Valley and Mesa Verde National Park. The funding was requested by Congressman Salazar and will likely be included in the 2010 Appropriations Bill for the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development.  Congressman Salazar is a member of the Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. 

The funding is needed to extend the life of the aging Mancos Project on the Mancos River north of Mancos in Montezuma County. The Jackson Gulch reservoir supplies water to the town of Mancos, the Mancos Water Conservancy District, the Mancos Rural Water Company and is the sole supplier of municipal water for Mesa Verde National Park. The project provides irrigation water for over 13,000 acres. 

On the funding for the Jackson Gulch Rehabilitation project, Congressman Salazar offered the following statement:

“The Mancos project is the main source of agricultural, domestic and recreational water in the Mancos Valley and for Mesa Verde National Park,” said Congressman Salazar. “My constituents in that area depend on that water and the agricultural land it irrigates to make their living and to put food on our tables.  They cannot afford to lose their water supply and I will continue to fight to see that this project receives the funding it needs.”