Yeh Engineering Engaged to Advance Reservoir Planning
San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD) recognizes the need for reservoir planning, preliminary engineering, and funding for water storage at Running Iron Ranch. SJWCD will post updates here as reservoir planning advances.
SJWCD has engaged Yeh Engineering (https://www.yeh-eng.com) to conduct a thorough desktop assessment of the geotechnical services needed to construct a water storage reservoir at the Running Iron Ranch (RIR). The Yeh research results are expected in March 2025. The proposed water storage facility, currently called San Juan Headwaters Project (Project), is a potentially 11,000-acre foot off-channel reservoir. The Colorado Water Conservation Board, SJWCD, and Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District own Running Iron Ranch.
SJWCD was created in 1987 in accordance with the Water Conservancy Act. The District is located at the headwaters of the San Juan River and encompasses all of the town of Pagosa Springs and most of Archuleta County. The District has transitioned over the last fifty years to a tourism-based economy with many of our visitors enjoying river recreation including fishing, rafting, and tubing and San Juan Forest oriented activities including hiking, mountain biking, camping and winter activities.
The conservancy of Colorado’s water continues to be a consideration of the Colorado legislature (https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-038) in the present day. The need for water storage is defined in the Colorado Water Plan (https://www.sjwcd.org/colorado-water-plan), which drives the decision-making of the SJWCD Board of Directors.