An interpretive pullout off U.S. 160 showcasing the historic McElmo Flume has secured necessary funding, and construction will soon be put out to bid.
The wooden flume is near the Montezuma County fairgrounds, east of Cortez. It was built in 1890 and delivered irrigation water south of Cortez and to the Ute Mountain Ute tribe.
It is the last surviving out of 104 wooden flumes built in the area from 1890 to 1920.
Saving the structure and creating the interpretive site has been years in the making.
The pullout will include a paved entrance and egress road, paved parking lot, information kiosk, a handicap accessible path to an overlook of the flume, and interpretive panels on the flume and historic water development in the area.
Two separate grants are helping to pay, with local organizations chipping in matching funds and materials.
First, a $252,000 grant from the Federal Highways Administration was awarded to the Trails of the Ancients Scenic Byway, a section of which includes U.S. 160.
Montezuma County chipped in $52,000 worth of gravel to satisfy the 20 percent match.
Russell Engineering was awarded the bid for the construction design, expected to be complete by mid August.
“We’re pulling together the full package to put out the competitive construction bid, with a deadline of September to have all dollars allocated,” said county planner James Dietrich.
Once a company is chosen for the project, construction is expected to begin next spring.
“It could take a year or longer for construction to be completed,” Dietrich said.
Running concurrently with the pullout is a separate project for restoration of the flume foundation and structure, which are badly damaged.
The Colorado State Historic Fund awarded the project a $123,840 grant for foundation stabilization.
Several organizations chipped in to cover the $41,280 match, including Montezuma County, Southwest Water Conservancy District, Ballantine Family Fund, Montezuma County Historical Society, Southwest Roundtable, and Trails of the Ancients Scenic Byway.
A request for proposals for the restoration project is on the county website, with a deadline of July 31. The job entails rebuilding a concrete foundation that was washed away on the structures south end.
In addition, repairs are needed on the super structure of steel supports encased in concrete.
“The concrete is falling away and the steel is rusting,” Dietrich said. “The successful bidder will expose the steel, treat it and re-encase the concrete.”
