Grand Mesa, CO – Snowmaking coverage at Powderhorn, on Colorado’s Western Slope, could expand from 21 acres to over 180 if a water deal presently in negotiation with the city of Grand Junction comes to fruition.

Powderhorn co-owner Andy Daly, a former Vail Resorts executive, is trying to hammer out a deal with Grand Junction to pump water from the city’s Sommerville Reservoir, located about two miles away on Grand Mesa, to the ski area for snowmaking use. Daly is proposing the purchase of up to 140 acre-feet of water annually over the next 10 years at a cost of $200 each, far more than the roughly $18 the city charges ranchers and farmers for each acre-foot.

Grand Junction City Council has given the city’s staff the green light to continue with negotiations. If an agreement can be reached, Powderhorn intends to construct a pipeline from Sommerville Reservoir to the resort to carry the snowmaking water, which would be used to expand and extend early season skiing at the resort, resulting in an increase in skier visits.