The San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD) Board of Directors reiterated and expanded upon its opposition to the potential sale of Running Iron Ranch by the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) at its Dec. 2 meeting.
Following an executive session convened to discuss the sale of the ranch, SJWCD president Candace Jones commented that the board has publicly stated its objections to the sale of the ranch and that selling the property without “knowing more” would not be consistent with the mission of the SJWCD.
She added that the board rejected a specific purchase offer which purported to include the construction of a reservoir.
However, Jones stated that the offer did not include a commitment to building a reservoir and provided the buyer “for no additional consideration” with water rights wholly owned by the SJWCD that were conveyed to it by the Southwestern Water Conservation District.
She added that the transfer of the water rights would likely be opposed by various parties.
“The pencil terms that were offered were just not favorable to the public and would have been a bad deal for the public, and we’re concerned about the public’s interest and what assets the district has interest in,” Jones said.
She then asked for a motion from the board to reiterate the points she had just made in a public statement.
Jones added that she would write a statement that would then be circulated to other members of the board for editing before being distributed to the public.
She also invited the scheduling of a SJWCD work session to discuss how to address PAWSD’s concerns, after which the board would invite the PAWSD board to “sit with us and have an open and frank discussion of our respective positions on the Running Iron Ranch because I think that kind of consultation is … what the boards agreed to do as joint owners of this property in the first place.”
The board then unanimously voted to approve these actions.
On Dec. 3, the SJWCD issued a public statement further outlining the board’s next steps and objections to the offer it rejected.
The statement opens by noting that the SJWCD is committed to keeping its water rights and the land for future water storage in public control.
“Selling those valuable assets deprives County residents and property owners of the best available site for a reservoir and water supply that can help sustain the community years from now,” the statement adds.
It comments that the offer the SJWCD rejected at its Nov. 7 meeting was a “bad deal” for the public and would have required the SJWCD to turn over its water storage rights to the buyer for free.
The statement comments that the offer was “described as” providing for the future development of a reservoir but did not include a “realistic plan or timeline.”
It adds, “The inevitable result would have been the public’s loss of land and water rights to a private developer.”
The statement continues that the SJWCD is willing to work with community stakeholders, including PAWSD, on cooperative water planning efforts, which it comments should go “hand in hand” with strategic planning by the Town of Pagosa Springs and Archuleta County.
“SJWCD board members will also consider assets that might be offered for sale consistent with the public’s interest,” it states, adding that the SJWCD has scheduled a work session at 4 p.m. on Jan. 6 to “continue its planning work.”
josh@pagosasun.com
