The High Line Canal (HLC) is a man-made waterway, used for

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...

and recreation, that serves the

Denver-Aurora metropolitan area Denver is the central city of a conurbation region in the U.S. state of Colorado. The conurbation includes one continuous region consisting of the six central counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson. The Denver r ...

. It begins at a diversion dam on the

South Platte River The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/ Mountain West. It ...

, some above the mouth of

Waterton Canyon The Platte Canyon is a deep, narrow, scenic gorge on the South Platte River in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The canyon is southwest of Denver on the border between Jefferson and Douglas counties. The canyon is at the entrance to the mountai ...

. From its headgate, the HLC runs generally northeast for (historically 71 miles), passing through Douglas,

Arapahoe The Arapaho (; french: Arapahos, ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho band ...

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and Adams Counties.Denver Water: High Line Canal
, accessed 09/23/2011. Source:

Origin of the name

The High Line Canal is not the only one so named. Others in Colorado include the Farmer's High Line (which flows from

Golden Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall * Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershi ...

passing through

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

and Thornton); the Government High Line (which irrigates Grand Junction and the surrounding Grand Valley); and the Rocky Ford High Line (which irrigates land in the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...

Valley around Boone, Fowler, Manzanola, and Rocky Ford). Elsewhere in Colorado and in other western states, there are a number of additional canals named "High Line" or "Highline". High Line canals are named after the engineering principle by which they are designed.High Line Canal: Meandering Through Time. A Historical Trail Guide. By Dr. David Skari. Copyright 2003 David Skari. Printed by C&M Press, 4825 Nome St. Denver, Colorado 80239. The "high line principle" calls for a canal to follow the contours of the

terrain Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin wo ...

, with a minimal drop in elevation per mile along its course. Thus the canal follows the line of highest possible elevation that allows its flow to be driven by gravity (so that neither pumping nor electricity is required for transporting the water). As a result, High Line canals typically have many twists and turns as they maintain elevation by traversing natural valleys first in an upstream direction, then back down the opposite side, then around dividing ridges, and so on.

Developmental struggles

The company originally intended to place about 50,000 acres under cultivation, but it had difficulty securing sufficient water because earlier ditches held irrigation rights based on prior claims. Court cases regarding water rights dragged on for years. Because the High Line Canal's water rights were junior to 74 other canals in the South Platte watershed, it was frequently dry. Although the agricultural development that the HLC was meant to spawn never fully materialized, the canal nevertheless nourished the growth of both Denver and its eastern suburb,

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

. In 1924, Denver Water took over the canal.

Irrigation

The HLC was designed to carry nearly three-quarters of a billion gallons of water per day, but actually averages only 71 million gallons. The canal today has a water capacity of . When the

Rocky Mountain Arsenal The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was a United States chemical weapons manufacturing center located in the Denver Metropolitan Area in Commerce City, Colorado. The site was completed December 1942, operated by the United States Army throughout the late ...

was built in 1942, a lateral was built off the HLC (at about mile 64) in order to supply water to the chemical weapons manufacturing center, and until about 2008, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge was the furthest-downstream customer that was still taking water delivery via the HLC. However, the canal does not provide a very efficient method of delivering water; Denver Water estimates 60% to 80% of water in the canal is lost to seepage or evaporation. As a result, the Arsenal is now provided with recycled water instead of canal water, and as of 2011, the HLC's last customer is Fairmount Cemetery (at about mile 48). However, Denver Water still occasionally sends water further downstream, in order to water the trees that line the canal's bank. Denver Water has vacated the HLC downstream from mile 66.3 in Green Valley Ranch, and today there is very little visible evidence of the additional five miles that historically extended beyond that point.

Recreation

Although the HLC was originally built for the purpose of irrigation, today it is better known to Colorado residents as a source of recreation. The canal itself (and the water flowing through it) is owned by Denver Water, and the adjoining maintenance road was entirely closed to the public until 1970.Guide to the High Line Canal Trail. Richard H. Johnson, ed. Published by Denver Water Community Relations Office, 1999. Today it remains closed to all unauthorized motor vehicles, but approximately of the road have been improved for use as a recreational trail open to non-motorized users. Designated a National Landmark Trail, it is a popular destination for Denver's outdoor enthusiasts and is open all year to hikers, bikers, joggers, and (along some segments) equestrians. The High Line Canal Trail is shaded for much of its length by mature cottonwood trees, and the surface of the pathway ranges from hard-packed dirt to concrete. Though the HLC is owned by Denver Water, five agencies have recreational agreements to maintain sections of the trails: In January 2009,

The Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...

helped place a conservation easement on of land adjacent to the popular High Line Canal Trail. The HLC supplies water to Buell Lake in Cherry Hills Village.

Wildlife

Deer, ducks, geese, turtles, hawks, herons, pelicans, raccoon, fox, coyotes, mountain lions,Second Sighting of Mountain Lion Reported on Highline Canal (Colorado Division of Wildlife press release, October 28, 1999)
/ref> and various other animals have been spotted on or around the canal and surrounding trails.

References

External links

Denver Water: High Line Canal (official)Denver Water: High Line Canal (map)Douglas County: Open Space, High Line Canal Regional TrailTrails.com summary of Highline Canal TrailCity of Littleton: Irrigation ProjectsDetailed interactive map showing trail conditions, milepost locations, photos, etc.
*

Historic American Engineering Record Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

(HAER) documentation: ** ** **{{HAER , survey=CO-67 , id=co0293 , title=Highline Extension Canal, Denver, Denver County, CO , photos=23 , dwgs=2 , data=20 , cap=2 , link=no Protected areas of Douglas County, Colorado Geography of Aurora, Colorado Geography of Denver Parks in Colorado Canals in Colorado Irrigation canals Greenways Historic American Engineering Record in Colorado National Recreation Trails in Colorado Irrigation in the United States Protected areas of Adams County, Colorado Protected areas of Arapahoe County, Colorado Protected areas of Denver Canals opened in 1883 Transportation in Adams County, Colorado Buildings and structures in Adams County, Colorado Transportation buildings and structures in Arapahoe County, Colorado Transportation buildings and structures in Denver Transportation buildings and structures in Douglas County, Colorado