San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD) is seeking a general project manager to lead reservoir planning, preliminary engineering, and funding for water storage at Running Iron Ranch. SJWCD will post updates here as reservoir planning advances.
After conferring with professional water engineers, SJWCD is initiating a planning process to develop a Master Planning Matrix. The matrix will identify and target specific tasks, and a timeline for completion of those tasks.
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.
In July 2024, SJWCD released a Request for Proposals to seven qualified water engineering firms with offices in southwest Colorado. Three qualified water engineering firms responded and will likely participate in the development of the Master Planning Matrix. SJWCD originally anticipated a one-year process, subject to extension. After conferring with the three firms , SJWCD understands that further study is needed to define a realistic timeline.
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 primary focus of the SJWCD during its 36 years of existence has been managing water rights ceded to the District at its formation and exploring water storage options for the Upper San Juan River Basin. Board Directors are judicially appointed and serve on a volunteer basis. SJWCD currently has one vacancy in its Board of Directors.
