At its Aug. 17 meeting, the San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD) Board of Directors moved forward with contracting engineering firm RJH Consultants to perform a water demand study for the district’s reservoir project.
SJWCD board president Randy Cooper opened discussion of the study by summarizing the history of the study, which the board delayed approving at its last meeting since board treasurer Joe Tedder was not at the meeting and had not had an opportunity to review the contract.
He explained that the $147,400 cost of the study would be split between 2026 and 2027, which RJH had agreed to.
In response to a question from Tedder, Cooper stated that RJH would be ready to start work on the study immediately upon board approval.
Tedder commented that, if the district exceeded the money it had budgeted for reservoir studies in 2026, it would have to approve a revised budget, although he added that this would likely not be an issue.
Cooper explained that the billing by RJH would be based on their cash expenditures for the work completed, and Tedder added that the district does its accounting on a cash basis and cannot accrue expenses for the future.
Tedder also commented that state law does not require the district to create a revised budget when it moves money from one line item to another, such as moving unspent litigation funding to another purpose, but that the district does so to maximize transparency.
SJWCD board member Candace Jones pointed out that the district’s litigation with the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District over the sale and management of Running Iron Ranch is not concluded and will still be incurring costs for the SJWCD.
Tedder commented that the district is accounting for these expected litigation costs and asked that the district do any budget amendments necessary before Oct. 15, since this is when the district’s budget is due to Archuleta County.
The board agreed that RJH should provide monthly updates on the project to ensure that the project adapts to any changing circumstances or barriers the district encounters, which Jones raised concerns about.
Cooper also commented that the district will be highly engaged with RJH throughout the study, so it would be aware of what is happening as it progresses.
The board then unanimously voted to move forward with the RJH study with the addition of the items discussed.
>