The San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD) Board of Directors heard an update on maintenance and activities at the Running Iron Ranch at its Oct. 19 meeting.
SJWCD board member Charles Riehm explained that the SJWCD had asked, as part of its ongoing work with reservoir engineering consultant RJH Consultants, whether the 20 acres of the Running Iron Ranch that lie across U.S. 160 near the San Juan River, apart from the other portion of the parcel, would be considered a wetland.
He stated that RJH was working with Davis Engineering to do the engineering analysis that would be required to answer this question, which could impact the feasibility of building on this piece of property.
Riehm also stated that he added a padlock to the gate to this 20-acre section of the property, which was placed on the other side of the chain gate from the padlock placed by the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD), an arrangement which would allow members of both districts to access the property without coordinating with the other.
The SJWCD and PAWSD jointly own the property and are in the process of settlement negotiations for a lawsuit filed by PAWSD as part of an attempt to sell the property without the consent of the SJWCD.
Riehm stated he also recently drove around the ranch and took photographs of the regrowth of grass on the property after the recent rains.
“The grass is moderately coming in pretty well I would say generally across the whole area,” Riehm said.
He added that there were about 30 cow-calf pairs on the property near the Park Ditch, part of the recent temporary grazing lease the SJWCD signed with a nearby rancher.
Riehm commented that the cows did not appear to be going anywhere except where they could access water.
SJWCD board president Randy Cooper added that the cows have now been removed from the property.
SJWCD board member Candace Jones asked whether an invoice for weed treatment done by the Archuleta County Weed and Pest Department had been paid.
Riehm stated that he was unsure and that he would have to check with SJWCD treasurer Joe Tedder, who was out of town.
Potential board member introduction
At the meeting, the SJWCD board also heard an introduction from Bill O’Neill, a member of the public who came to Cooper expressing potential interest in serving on the SJWCD board, which currently has a vacancy.
Cooper commented that he felt that O’Neill would be “more than qualified” and that the timing of him joining the board would be ideal since the board would need to focus on environmental and project management once it finalizes its settlement with PAWSD and O’Neill has extensive experience with this.
O’Neill explained that he has been a full-time resident of Pagosa Springs for about a year, and that he has had property in the area since 2012 and has been coming to the area since the 1980s.
“Pagosa Springs is very deep in my heart,” he said. “I would be proud to have the opportunity to serve on the board.”
He commented that he believes he had a “vast amount” of project management knowledge that could assist the board and that he has been working in environmental restoration, decontamination and demolition for 25 years, including current work supporting the decommissioning of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, “which at this point in time is considered the hardest project in the world.”
Jones asked if O’Neill was familiar with the district’s reservoir project.
O’Neill stated that he had reviewed the information on the SJWCD website and had spoken with Cooper about it.
“I think having an opportunity for a larger bank of a needed resource is a good idea for the community,” he said. “I have to do a little deeper dive into the project itself, but at this point in time I don’t see any negative aspects.”
Riehm commented that he felt O’Neill’s background sounded “really good” and that he was pleased that O’Neill is interested in joining the board.
“I’m in favor,” he said.
Cooper closed the discussion by stating that SJWCD Executive Assistant Sally High and SJWCD legal counsel Jeffrey Kane put together a letter giving him more information about how to apply to join the board, which would be sent to him.
josh@pagosasun.com
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