Rio Grange Headwaters Restoration Project

In 1999 a group of concerned citizens and organizations of the San Luis Valley, Colorado, determined that a study was needed of the reach of the Rio Grande in Colorado most impacted by human intervention.  The group included farmers, ranchers, environmentalists, irrigation

companies, staffs of both state and federal agencies, elected officials and staffs of local governments and towns, and interested citizens.  Each of these individuals or groups had a stake in the function of the river system.

The San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District has a Board of Directors which represents three Counties in the San Luis Valley that are most impacted by the Rio Grande.  The Directors are appointed by the Colorado Water Court.   The District consulted with community members and organizations and agreed to be the sponsor of the proposed study. The stakeholders formed a Technical Advisory Team with the District providing administration resources to this group.

The Rio Grange Headwaters Restoration Study (Study) covered 91 miles of the Rio Grande, from the upstream corporate limit of the Town of South Fork to the Alamosa – Conejos County line, Colorado. The Study was completed in 2001 and funded by a grant of $200,000 from the Colorado Water Conservation Board to the District.

The identified issues were designated as “structural” in nature, such as agricultural water diversion structure replacement or consolidation, or those relating to “policy or administrative measures” or “non –structural”, such as grazing management practices or land use issues.

The Study included the prioritization of potential projects and the possible alternative methods that could be used to mitigate the identified adverse conditions.  In addition, the Study identified a “tool box” of possible techniques and administrative or regulatory changes that could be used to address the identified issues.  The Study did not attempt to develop strategies to be used in addressing the overall Study’s findings, such as a reach by reach approach, or by some specific element or topic, such as irrigation diversions.

Since the completion of the Study in 2001 a Task Force has been established, whose members again include representatives of farmers, ranchers, environmentalists, irrigation companies, staffs of both state and federal agencies, elected officials and staffs of local governments and towns, and citizens with an interest in the health and performance of the Rio Grande and its associated systems.  At the meetings of the Task Force there are typically over 20 people present representing these diverse groups of stakeholders. 

The Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project has been successful in obtaining grants to further its objectives, including monies for “on the ground” stream bank stabilization and riparian area restoration and enhancement.   Currently, efforts are ongoing through the Natural Resources & Conservation Service (NRCS), working with some 17 landowners, to implement about $600,000.00 worth of stream bank stabilization and riparian protection and improvement. Funding through the Restoration Project for this work has come from a grant ($150,000) provided by the EPA’S 319 Non-point Pollution Prevention Program, administered by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.  The balance  of the funds came through various programs administered  by NRCS and by contributions from the landowners. 

In addition, the Project has sought other grants which have included funds from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation for educational programs, including the development and production of brochures describing the Project and the 2001 Study. 

In 2004 the Task Force identified the need for a well defined Rio Grande Watershed Restoration Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan) that would recognize the planning and on-site restoration and related efforts within the broader watershed; in addition to the findings of the 2001 Study.  The Strategic Plan would include the findings of the 2001 Study, relevant portions of the Rio Grande National Forest Management Plan and the Willow Creek Reclamation Project in the north, and the proposed Rio Grande Natural Area, south of the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge to the Colorado-New Mexico state line.  The Strategic Plan, developed with the support of the Task Force, provides a focus for the implementation of future structural and non-structural restoration projects.  The Strategic Plan included data collection and assessment of ongoing restoration projects, prioritization of projects and alternatives, identification of possible funding sources for specific projects in the future, and outreach efforts to educate and maintain involvement and support from the community.

The drafting of the Strategic Plan drew on the expertise of individuals and the staffs of the Colorado Division of Water Resources, the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the US Fish & Wildlife Service.  Other partners will include the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, the irrigation / ditch companies, and the Manager and Board of the San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District and the Colorado Rio Grande Restoration Foundation.