Agenda Date: 06/16/2025
Subject:
Title
City Ditch Project Overview
Body
Prepared By:
Sara Dusenberry, Senior Planner
Ryan Germeroth, Deputy Director of Public Works & Utilities
Presentations:
Sara Dusenberry, Senior Planner
Brent Soderlin, Director of Public Works & Utilities
Ryan Germeroth, Deputy Director of Public Works & Utilities
Stephanie Ellis, Engineer III, City of Englewood
PURPOSE:
To provide an informational update of Englewood's City Ditch project and to provide an overview of the outcome of the conversations with City Council regarding the Slaughterhouse Gulch flume.
LONG-TERM OUTCOME(S) SERVED:
Vibrant Community with a Rich Culture
High Quality Governance
DISCUSSION:
Brief History of City Ditch
City Ditch was one of the first irrigation canals in the state and runs water from the South Platte River to Denver. The 26 mile stretch was initially started in 1861, with the beginning of ditch more closely located to what is downtown Littleton. Due to the Civil War, construction was halted and restarted in 1964. The ditch was completed in 1867, with the start located nearly four miles upstream. Richard Little, founder of Littleton, was responsible for surveying the stretch of land to ensure the water flowed appropriately and noted the original location of the ditch would not be effective inmoving water. Construction of the ditch and the ability to move water in a highly arid landscape was a catalyst for much of the development within the region. Richard Little utilized the abandoned ditch to channel water from the Platte, allowing for the construction of the Rough and Ready Mill.
Utilizing gravity to move water required the use of flumes to move water across features like gulches or side streams. The flumes effectively acted as bridges to allow water to move across these features. The original flumes would have likely been constructed from wood. The use of steel would have come later when shipping the material to the region was easier and more c...
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