Flumes were a necessary initial utility in the mountain towns. Along the Arkansas river, there are the remnants of a hanging flume that ran to Canyon City. Along Eagle river near the mining town of Red Cliff and Minturn is the bound flume still standing on the west side of the road.
In researching the MILW branch line through my home valley, I ran across numerous indications of these. Both under and over the right-of-way. Either open or piped. Some were clearly for a local mill operation, others not indicated, but I suspect for area farm irrigation. My home town had water mains using these old wooden wired pipes into the 1980's.
There was one of these from Lake Easton Dam, Washington to Ellensburg, Washington. It was a combination of canal and flumes, over 35 miles long. In use until the 1960's, there after, portions of it survived another couple of decades, still carrying water. When I was last through there, about five years ago, most of the flume remnants were finally removed.
I think the City of Tacoma still uses there's daily for water up near Electron, Wa? Either that or for power. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_Hydroelectric_Project
Schuylerville NY, a town along the Hudson River and Champlain Canal above Troy/ Albany NY, still has a very large wooden water pipe/ flume in service that feeds a small hydro plant. It is totally visible from the bridge on the main drag (rte.4) going through town, right next to the historic Schuyler home and close to the Saratoga Battlefield. That region is quite interesting and full of history.