Risks to the Upper San Juan River will be described in a presentation by the Southwestern Water Conservation District (SWWCD) and Wright Water Engineers at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts at 4 p.m. on March 25.
The free presentation is open to the public.
The risks result from Colorado’s obligation to comply with the Colorado River Compact and our decreasing water supplies associated with a warmer, drier climate. Shortfalls in delivery of Colorado River water to Lake Powell and points beyond pose risks to water users in the Upper San Juan Basin, including Archuleta County.
In 2019, the Colorado River Risk Study was completed after Western Slope water roundtables requested answers to specific questions about our future water supply and compact compliance. The 2019 analysis was conducted by Hydros Consulting Inc., the Colorado River District and the Southwestern Water Conservancy District in the context of the Colorado Water Plan.
In 2023, the original risk study was updated, when the SWWCD contracted Wright Water Engineers to provide additional analysis. The updates focus on evaluations of each sub-basin, including the Upper San Juan River in Archuleta County. The hydrological data, as well as the methodologies used, will be explained in the March 25 public presentation.
The SWWCD was created in 1941 by the Colorado General Assembly. The district covers six water conservancy districts in southwest Colorado, including the San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD).
The purpose of the SWWCD is “to protect, conserve, use, and develop the water resources of the San Juan and Dolores River Basins for the welfare of all the inhabitants, and safeguard for Colorado all waters to which the state is entitled.”
In 1987, the SJWCD was created through the Colorado Water Conservancy Act of 1937 and by local Archuleta County voters. The mission of the SJWCD is to be an active leader in all issues affecting the water resources of the Upper San Juan River Basin.
The public is welcome to the free presentation beginning at 4 p.m. at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts, 2313 Eagle Drive. Time for networking will follow the presentation. There is no cost to the public.
