Boulder County Open Space and Water Management agricultural water tour

Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOP) is offering an Agricultural Water Tour on May 17 exploring water use, irrigation, and storage, in Boulder County led by the Water Group of the Agricultural Resources Division.

The Water Group will lead a tour of Braly and the Cottonwood Property. The tour will include post 2013 flood-constructed reservoirs, dams, outlet works, and measurement devices, and discuss how water is stored and the importance of storage. Discussions will cover irrigated agriculture, different means and various methods farmers use to distribute water to their fields, and how water is diverted from the river and applied to the land.

BCPOP has a portfolio of 107,861 square feet of open space. Boulder County protects 67,419 acres of public land owned or leased, and 40,442 acres of protected private land through conservation easements. Conservation easements are recorded legal agreements between the county and a landowner that usually restrict residential or commercial development on the property.

The Left Hand Valley Courier addressed issues faced by Boulder County Open Space Water Management in its April 16 edition for more information.

The tour buses will leave the Boulder County Fairgrounds south parking lot next to the horse arena at 8:00 a.m. and will return at about 12:00 p.m. Buses will be used for the tour to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable journey for everyone.

Space is limited to 100 participants and registration is required, which includes creating an account and signing a waiver. For more information, contact Amanda Hatfield at 303-678-6200.