The Uncompahgre River is a tributary of the

Gunnison River The Gunnison River is located in western Colorado, United States and is one of the largest tributaries of the Colorado River. Description The river flows east to west and has a drainage area of according to the USGS. The drainage basin of ...

, approximately 75 mi (121 km) long, in southwestern

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Lake Como at 12,215 ft (3723m) in northern San Juan County, in the

Uncompahgre National Forest Uncompahgre National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering 955,229 acres (1,492.55 sq mi, or 3,865.68 km2) in (in descending order of land area) parts of Montrose County, Colorado, Montrose, Mesa County, Colorado, Mesa, San Miguel Count ...

in the northwestern

San Juan Mountains The San Juan Mountains is a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry ...

is the headwaters of the river. It flows northwest past Ouray, Ridgway, Montrose, and Olathe and joins the Gunnison at Confluence Park in

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

. The river forms Poughkeepsie Gulch and the

Uncompahgre Gorge The Uncompahgre Gorge is a deep mountain canyon formed by the Uncompahgre River and Red Mountain Creek in the Uncompahgre National Forest. It is located just south of Ouray, in Ouray County, Colorado. At the north end of the Gorge the Uncompah ...

. The major tributaries are all creeks draining the northwest San Juan Mountains. There are two

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

s on the Uncompahgre River, a small diversion dam in the Uncompahgre Gorge, and

Ridgway Dam Ridgway Dam is an earthen dam on the Uncompahgre River which impounds Ridgway Reservoir, located about 6 miles (10 km) north of the town of Ridgway, Colorado, Ridgway in Ouray County, Colorado. The dam is high and long, with a capacity of o ...

below the town of Ridgway which forms Ridgway Reservoir. The river is used for irrigation in the

Uncompahgre Valley The Uncompahgre Valley is an agricultural valley of the Uncompahgre River around the town of Montrose in the western part of the U.S. state of Colorado. The valley is bounded to the south and east by the San Juan Mountains and to the west by t ...

. Additionally, water from the Gunnison is diverted to the valley via the

Gunnison Tunnel The Gunnison Tunnel is an irrigation tunnel constructed between 1905 and 1909 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Montrose County, Colorado. The tunnel diverts water from the Gunnison River to the arid Uncompahgre Valley around Montrose, Colorado ...

. The Uncompahgre is unnavigable except at high water. The name ''Uncompahgre'' () comes from the

Ute Ute or UTE may refer to: * Ute (band), an Australian jazz group * Ute (given name) * ''Ute'' (sponge), a sponge genus * Ute (vehicle), an Australian and New Zealand term for certain utility vehicles * Ute, Iowa, a city in Monona County along ...

word ''Uncompaghre'', which loosely translates to "dirty water," "red lake," or "red water spring" and is likely a reference to the many hot springs in the vicinity of Ouray.

Conservation

In October 2020, the City of Montrose announced a multi-year, multi-million dollar river restoration project along the Uncompahgre, including $785,000 total grants from the

Colorado Water Conservation Board The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) operates as a division of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. The Colorado legislature founded the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) through the passage of HousBill no. 6in 1937 for the " ...

. The project will enhance fishing habitats, provide bank stabilization, increase river access and fishing opportunities for the public. The public-private partnership includes Colorado Parks & Wildlife, Colorado

Trout Unlimited Trout Unlimited (TU) is a US non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of freshwater streams, rivers, and associated upland habitats for trout, salmon, other aquatic species, and people. It is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. T ...

, and fly fishing compan
Mayfly Outdoors

References

{{authority control Gunnison River Rivers of Colorado Rivers of Ouray County, Colorado Rivers of San Juan County, Colorado Tributaries of the Colorado River in Colorado Colorado Western Slope

Conservation

See also

References