Construction is Completed on New Parking/Viewing Area at Fruitgrowers Reservoir

An overview of Fruitgrowers new parking and viewing area. Photo by UC Region Public Affairs Office.Fruitgrowers Dam and Reservoir is located about 15 miles northeast of Delta, Colorado. Construction of the dam began in 1938 and was completed in 1939. The reservoir provides supplemental irrigation water to 2,690 acres of land. Primary crops grown in the area are fruit, small grains, corn, alfalfa, and pasture. The reservoir is frequently used by migratory birds; including grebes and cranes.

In 2014, Delta County requested and received approval to construct and maintain a parking/bird viewing area on Reclamation lands for safety issues. The area is located by the reservoir adjacent to N Road, and will relieve traffic congestion caused by pedestrians and parked cars viewing the wide variety of birds the reservoir draws such as sandhill cranes as well as the local wildlife. Construction of the parking/viewing area was completed in March 2015. The parking lot has 20 spaces, including accessible parking, is fenced, and includes a gate for foot access to the reservoir area.

Other public access areas at the reservoir which are located closer to the dam, such as a small parking area, a trail, and a viewing area, have recently received a spring clean-up by employees from the Western Colorado Area Office. They re-graded and improved drainage across the parking area, placed large rocks around the parking area to restrict vehicles to the parking area and eliminate off road vehicle use that was occurring, cut overgrowth from the concrete trail and cleaned the trail to make it more usable, replaced some important signs concerning use of the reservoir area, etc.

Fruitgrowers Parking Area. Photo Credit: UC Region Public Affairs Office.

Fruitgrowers Parking Area. Photo Credit: UC Region Public Affairs Office.

Fruitgrowers Parking Area. Photo Credit: UC Region Public Affairs Office.

Published on May 01, 2015