Cultural Resources Program

The Bureau of Reclamation is committed to preserving historical and archaeological sites as required by the National Historic Preservation Act and other pertinent laws. The NHPA created the National Register of Historic Places and the list of National Historic Landmarks. The NHPA also allowed for the formation of State Historic Preservation Offices to play critical roles in carrying out historic preservation.

Black and white image of Mount Garfield in the background and three structures in and orchard in the foreground.

Mount Garfield in Grand Junction in the early 1900's.

Farmer in overalls holding a shovel stand in the foreground of a freshly plowed field with irrigation ditches full of water flowing to his left.

Irrigating land in Montrose, Colorado, in the early 1900's.

Farmer and a four-horse hitch driven piece of farm equipment moving away from the camera in a partially worked field.

Farm life in the early 1900's in Western Colorado

Car shown inside of the Gunnison Tunnel with an inspector’s flashlight on the viewer’s left-hand corner of the tunnel floor in the foreground.

Inspecting the Gunnison Tunnel in the early 1900's.

View down the center of an apple orchard row with two men in suits and flat brimmed straw hats inspecting apples on the branches of two trees on each side of the row.

Western Slope apple orchard in the early 1900's.

Two men standing on a suspended seam engine bucket full of dirt.

Grand Valley Project construction early 1900's.

Section 106 of the NHPA requires Federal agencies to consider the potential effects of a proposed Federal undertaking on historic properties. Historic properties are any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in, or eligible for inclusion in, the NRHP. Federal agencies consult with the SHPO as projects are planned and implemented to ensure that cultural resource laws are followed. This includes deciding whether a cultural resource is eligible for listing in the NRHP, and the effect the proposed Federal undertaking may have on historic properties.

Historical and archaeological sites are termed "cultural resources." Cultural resources are defined as physical or other expressions of human activity or occupation. Cultural resources are evaluated for significance in terms of NRHP eligibility. The significant criteria applied to evaluate cultural resources are defined as the quality of significance in American history, buildings, structures, and objects that possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association and:

  1. That are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or
  2. That are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or
  3. That embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or
  4. That have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

When a Federal undertaking will have an adverse effect on cultural resources which are eligible for listing in the NRHP, the Federal agency consults with the SHPO, Native American tribes, local governments and the public to determine appropriate measures the agency will take to mitigate the adverse effect.

The SHPOs and Reclamation keep copies of the mitigation documentation; however, these materials are not easily accessible by the public. To increase the public benefit of these materials, Reclamation has developed this webpage to provide public access to materials developed on cultural resources affected by Reclamation's undertakings

Cultural Resources ProgramIn-Depth

Related Links

Historic Resources Documentation

Publication Date

Report Title
02/2023 Water Management in the West
11/2022 Grand Valley Diversion Dam – Electrical and Control Systems Upgrade Project Brochure Link is to a PDF file
10/2022 History of the Grand Valley Irrigation Company and its Predecessor Companies and Canals Link is to a PDF file
02/2021 Level II Documentation of a Segment of the Government Highline Canal (5ME4676.41) in Mesa County, Colorado Link is to a PDF file
12/2020 Level II Documentation of A Portion of The Stewart Ditch (5DT1832.10), Delta County, Colorado Link is to a PDF file
11/2020 Level II Documentation of a Portion of the North Delta Canal (5DT1738.6), Delta County, Colorado Link is to a PDF file
10/2020 Level II Documentation of the Ratliff and Root Ditch (5MT23092), Montezuma County, Colorado Link is to a PDF file
01/2020 Level II Historic Documentation of the Aspen Canal (5DT1584) Delta County, Colorado OAHP #DT.R.R32 Link is to a PDF file
11/2019 Level II Historic Resource Documentation Gould Canal Segments 5DT2146.1 and 5MN10747.4 Montrose and Delta Counties, Colorado Link is to a PDF file
07/2019 Crawford Clipper Ditch Company: Level II Historic Resource Documentation of the Crawford Clipper Ditch—Spurlin Mesa Lateral (5DT1811.6), Delta County, Colorado Link is to a PDF file
01/2019 Level II Documentation of the Grand Valley Diversion Dam Work Complex (5ME12482) in Mesa County, Colorado Link is to a PDF file
03/2018 Summary Report of the Level I Documentation of the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association's GK, EU, EO, and GB Laterals in Delta and Montrose Counties, Colorado Link is to a PDF file
03/2018 Fire Mountain Canal Segment 5DT1277.4 and Leroux Creek Ditch Segment 5DT2005.3 Level I Historic Resource Documentation Delta County, Colorado Link is to a PDF file
03/2018 Summary Report of the Level I Documentation of One Segment of the Government Highline Canal, Mesa County, Colorado Link is to a PDF file
05/2017 Summary Report of the Level I Documentation of the Duke Ditch (5DT2083.1), Delta County, Colorado Link is to a PDF file
05/2017 Summary Report of the Level I Documentation of the Cattleman's Ditch, Montrose County, Colorado Link is to a PDF file
03/2017 Summary Report of the Level I Documentation of the Orchard Ranch Ditch, Delta County, Colorado Link is to a PDF file
03/2017 Summary Report of the Level I Documentation of Segments of the Grand Valley Canal, Mesa County, Colorado Link is to a PDF file
Last Updated: 10/3/24