By Howard L. Morton Sr.

Editor's Note: Howard L. Morton Sr. has worked a lifetime to bring prosperity and stability to the Left Hand Valley.

He was born in his family's farm house on 95th Street just south of Niwot Road in 1920. His knowledge of farming and wheat has brought him recognition on both the national and international levels. Locally, he was instrumental in establishing utilities which today we all take for granted.

When the first settlers arrived in the Left Hand Valley, they started to break up the prairie sod. Chief Niwot referred to this act as "turning the ground upside down." Once the sod was plowed, there was an inevitable need to irrigate the arid land.

In Colorado, water can be more precious than gold. To that end, Colorado operates under the law of Prior Appropriation, allowing first users of water from a creek or river to file for a decree for the water with a water court. Judicial decrees of this nature are normally issued to a ditch company or corporation which then issues water shares based on the acreage of the landowner.

The Left Hand Ditch Company (LHDC) was issued its first water decree on June 1, 1863 in the amount of 40.77-second feet. A second decree was issued on June 1, 1870 for 685.23-second feet. (One-second foot equals 1.983-acre feet of water; one-acre foot is equal to 325,851 gallons or the amount of water needed to cover one acre of ground with water one foot deep.)

The LHDC is responsible for setting the annual water assessment on each share of stock. The ditch company maintains the primary ditches and reservoirs, and the water superintendent disperses water to each farm, based on the landowners' shares of stock and the amount of water available for distribution during that year.

The town of Niwot was platted in 1875. At that time, the town's water supply consisted mainly of shallow wells and man-made cisterns. During the summer, water from the Hinman ditch, which crossed Second Avenue where the 2nd Avenue Hair Studio is located today, provided an additional domestic water source. Others had water hauled in from Longmont.

These were the two primary sources of water until the 1960s. By then, many of the wells and cisterns were becoming contaminated from septic systems and other organic matter.

A third water source for the area would soon come into play. The Big Thompson Water Project was completed in the early 1950s. The project included the Granby Reservoir, the Adams Tunnel to Lake Estes and Carter and Horsetooth Reservoirs.

The Northern Colorado Conservancy District (NCCD) is the governing body for Big Thompson (BT) water. The NCCD board of directors determines, on an annual basis, the amount of water available for distribution to the various entities, farms, towns, cities and water districts.

A unit of BT water is described as a unit of water, actually representing one-acre foot. Annual delivery through the years has averaged approximately 70 percent of an acre-foot. A large part of the growth along the northern Front Range can be attributed to water provided by the Big Thompson Water Project.

In 1958, a meeting was held at my farmhouse to discuss the possibility of forming a water district to build a domestic water system for the Niwot area. Although there was agreement among attendees on the need, there was little support for creating a taxing district.

Niwot, being a farm town, was just recovering from serious droughts in 1954, 1955 and 1956. The droughts had a devastating effect on the area, particularly on non-irrigated Gunbarrel Hill. Even some irrigated land was left idle due to the severe shortage of irrigation water. Because water decrees are based on the date issued, in years of short supply, those with later decrees have less seniority and may receive little or no irrigation water for that particular year.

Loans from Farmers Home Administration (FHA) were available to farm areas, like Niwot, to enhance domestic water supplies. In the spring of 1959, another meeting was held to discuss the possibility of FHA financing for the Niwot area. Those attending included Everly Austin, a local farmer and agricultural board member at Colorado State University (CSU); Cecil Rose, state administrator for FHA at CSU; Attorney John Hough, Hugh Dodd, Alva Dodd, Sr., Lale Jones, Earl Knaus, Royce Johnson and myself.

A public meeting was held at the Left Hand Grange and a board was formed to continue the process. I was chosen as board president, Alva Dodd as vice president and Hough as secretary and legal counsel. Johnson and Leroy Schlagel served as board members. Alva Dodd and Schlagel served on the board of directors for the LHDC as well and their expertise and input was quite valuable.

Subsequent meetings centered on discussions of a five-area association that was ultimately scaled back to form three associations. Left Hand Water Association became the primary association with Foothills Water Association and Boulder Valley Water Association joining to become an integral part of the Left Hand Water Association along with an increase to seven board members.

Logistics were an issue. By necessity, the filtration plant would have to be located somewhere along the Foothills Highway (US 36) west of Niwot. Our primary source of water would be BT water; however, the BT water canal was located at a considerably lower elevation. BT water was seasonal in its transmission of water to the Boulder reservoir and a water exchange with the LHDC would be necessary to supply water year round. BT water below the BT water canal would be used by farmers for irrigation and an equal amount of LHDC water from Allen Lake would be available for the domestic water system.

During this process, my personal life was extremely busy and I felt that the district would be better served if someone else served as president. Leroy Schlagel agreed to replace me as president and could work with the FHA in Washington to help secure the loan. US Senator John Carroll was up for reelection and it was imperative that he approve the three-area association loan.

Approval of the loan would require an agreement between the LHDC and the water association for the water exchange. To facilitate the exchange, Hugh and Alva Dodd provided funds to purchase a nearby farm to provide ditch water as a basis for an agreement to the exchange. Although there was considerable concern on the part of the area farmers served by the LHDC, the issue was finally resolved and both the LHDC and the water association benefited from the deal.

With final approval of a $3 million dollar loan by both the FHA and Senator Carroll, our first BT water of 1,000 units was purchased for $30 a unit. A single-family residence required one unit of water. Homeowners were encouraged to buy taps in advance for $250 per tap that would provide additional funds for construction. The cost of a unit of BT water today is $20,000 per unit, if provided by the Left Hand Water District, and a tap can cost as much as $27,000 in this area.

The Left Hand Water Company (LHWC) became operational in 1961. At the time, area growth was minimal. In 1964, with the FHA loan in default, I, having represented the board during the initial loan approval, was called to Washington to revisit the loan. FHA approved an extension for a 40-year loan.

Over the next 40 years, the area grew and water became even more important. With the opening of the IBM plant, there was a greater demand for housing and several subdivisions including Johnson Farm, Morton Heights, Overbrook and Gunbarrel Estates were developed.

The agricultural crisis in the early 1980s resulted in the foreclosure of many farms on a national scale. Many FHA loans were discounted and where possible, privatization of loans was required. With a discount of $875,000 in the LHWC loan, the board of directors was able to get a new loan from the United Bank in Denver and pay off the FHA loan.

In 1990, Left Hand Water Company converted into Left Hand Water District, giving the board more latitude in managing the operation of the system and the ability to issue revenue bonds. The district has grown into a multi-million dollar operation with a second filtration plant and major water line extensions. This area owes Alva Dodd, Sr., now deceased and Leroy Schlagel our utmost appreciation for the 30 years of dedication to LHWC, and to them I add my personal thanks.

There is an old saying, "What goes around, comes around." I have lived through two real drought periods; four years of wind and drought in the 1930's and three years of wind and drought in the 1950's. Someday it will happen again with severe water restrictions for cities and towns all along the Front Range.

Water is the lifeblood of our fragile prairie lands. It is a finite commodity that is slowly being transferred from prime irrigated land to domestic consumption with no end in sight. Was Chief Niwot right when he said, "Keep ground upside up!?" It's just a thought.