Montrose Hydroelectric Facility Gets Federal Grant

MONTROSE, Colo. (AP) - A new hydroelectric facility in Montrose is getting nearly a million dollars as part of a federal project to invest in water conservation and reuse projects in the drought-stricken West.

The $900,000 grant for the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association was announced Wednesday. The money is coming from the Interior Department's Bureau of Reclamation.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced funding Wednesday for more than 60 projects in a dozen states.

The Montrose project totals about $9.2 million. The project will install a 4.8 megawatt hydroelectric facility on an existing irrigation canal drop structure located on the South Canal. The power will be provided to the city of Delta.

The Montrose project includes piping 1,344 feet of canal, thereby allowing water to bypass leaking canals through a steel penstock.