No Chico Brush
Promoting sustainable water use in the Gunnison Basin
What Is No Chico Brush?
No Chico Brush (NCB) is a group of farmers,
ranchers, conservation organizations and others
who have partnered to promote improved water
management in the Gunnison Basin of western
Colorado. The No Chico Brush name refers to the
group’s goal of preserving irrigated agriculture and
not while conserving water and not letting the ag
lands to be covered in native desert plantgreasewood or “Chico brush”.
The Gunnison River and its many tributaries,
including the North Fork of the Gunnison and the
Uncompahgre rivers, nurture scenic mountain
valleys, important wildlife habitat and world-class
fisheries while supplying irrigation water to over
145,000 acres of productive cropland in the basin.
In the face of prolonged drought and shrinking water supplies in the Colorado Basin, NCB is committed
to keeping these diverse agricultural lands intact and productive.
Much of the irrigation infrastructure was constructed nearly 100 years ago and is in dire need of
efficiency upgrades and modernization. NCB believes that by working to improve irrigation and water
delivery systems, water users can improve water management, thereby conserving water while
keeping agriculture viable and improving river flows and habitat.
What is NCB doing?
NCB’s “Grand Vision” for agricultural water use in the Lower Gunnison Basin centers on the simple idea
of making the best possible use of water to sustain agricultural production while reducing impacts on
soil and river health. The group supports commonsense improvements such as canal lining, piping, onfarm/system storage, as well as increased hydroelectric production and on- farm efficiency projects.
Farmers in the North Fork, lower Gunnison and Uncompahgre valleys stand to benefit from these
efficiency upgrades directly through improved crop yields, reduced operational costs, and improved
water quality and system reliability. Additionally, downstream users benefit indirectly through improved
flows and water quality, while upstream users face a reduced threat of being called out during times of
shortage.
These system improvements can help meet the current demands of farmers and provide a real
alternative to expensive large scale storage and “buy and dry” schemes for meeting future basin-wide
demands.
The group was instrumental in securing the recent Critical
Conservation Area designation for the Colorado River Basin, which
resulted in an award of $8 million from the NRCS Regional
Conservation Partnership Program for projects that improve water
infrastructure and on-farm water use in the Lower Gunnison area.
Already, NCB is laying the groundwork for future water projects by
sponsoring research that examines the needs of producers and the
potential benefits of efficiency improvements. Over the past 2 years
NCB, in partnership with Colorado State University and with funding
from Trout Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy and the Colorado
Water Conservation Board, has been researching on-farm water use
and crop yields by comparing drip and sprinkler irrigation to the more
commonly used flood irrigation. The research is also testing
innovative technologies like remote soil moisture sensing and remote
control of irrigation controls. The research findings will be shared
with water users, water policy makers, and water managers.
Working on canal lining improvements
Core Principles
 Balancing water to meet multiple uses is critical to maintaining agriculture and community
viability in the Gunnison Basin.
 NCB is a collaborative effort that harnesses the energy and resources of agriculture,
conservation organizations, local business and government to achieve its goals.
 Improving water efficiency on and off farm can improve agricultural profitability while
addressing other critical water needs, such as river health.
 NCB supports current efforts to improve water quality by reducing salinity and selenium and
would like to build on those programs to maximize benefits to producers, address
environmental needs, and meet the needs of other water users.
 NCB envisions a “Grand Design” for irrigation infrastructure that includes piping and lining of
canals along with improvements to on-farm irrigation systems to optimize water use, reduce
system losses, and maintain or improve stream flows.
Partners
Local farmers and ranchers, Trout Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy, Upper Gunnison River Water
Conservation District, Colorado Water Conservation District, Colorado Water Conservation Board,
Colorado State University, Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association, Colorado River District, local
business leaders, Montrose and Delta County Commissioners, and others.
How to get involved
Contact: Cary Denison, Trout Unlimited Gunnison Basin project coordinator
cdenison@tu.org, 970-596-329