Project Active
2012 – Present
Hat Creek – Hat Creek Ditch
Through 2022, the Hat Creek Ditch Project has restored over
billion gallons
acre-feet
How Did This Project Come to Us?:
Vail Associates acquired property along Hat Creek which was conveyed to the Forest Service. Upon request from the Forest Service, Hat Creek water rights were conveyed to Colorado Water Trust to support instream flows and native cutthroat trout habitat on the river.
Tools Used:
Instream Flow Water Acquisition (Irrigation rights on the creek were changed into instream flow use, leaving the only remaining water use on Hat Creek an instream flow.)
Project Partners:
Colorado Water Conservation Board, Vail Associates, United States Forest Service, Western Land Group, Town of Eagle
Project Years:
The water rights were permanently changed in 2012.
- Photo Credit: Scott Hummer
Hat Creek’s cutthroat trout get some bonus water from Vail Resorts land deal
VAIL, Colo. — An Eagle County land trade that helped Vail Resorts add a little acreage at the Vail Village base area will also end up helping fish, including rare...
Cooperative Effort Provides Water for Fish in Eagle County
Vail, Colorado, April 25, 2012 – This summer, there will be more water for the fish who call Hat Creek their home. Hat Creek is a tributary of upper...
Hat Creek Water Court Decree
From the Decree: The application is granted and a decree is hereby entered changing the use of the Hat Creek Ditch water right from irrigation uses to instream flow use,...
Water Rights
As a result of collaborative efforts of Vail Associates (“VA”), the Colorado Water Trust, the U.S. Forest Service (“USFS”), and the Western Land Group, VA acquired property along Hat...