We might be feeling a bit satisfied, maybe even smug… here in Pagosa Springs, after a couple of weeks of rainy weather… and seeing the San Juan River running at close to normal levels.
But historically speaking, the American West is in the midst of one of its more interesting phases, where ‘water’ is concerned.
I prefer the word ‘interesting’ to the word ‘frightening’. Other people prefer ‘frightening’.
“The world has shifted under our feet this week,” said the former director of the Western Water Policy Program, Doug Kenney, at the Getches-Wilkinson Law Conference on Natural Resources at the University of Colorado Boulder last month. “We are all being asked to innovate at a pace and scale that I don’t think we were thinking of. Sometimes a big threat from the federal government is what you need.”
Mr. Kenney was referring to a June 14 emergency request from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton, telling the seven states that comprise the Colorado River Basin that they will need to find 2 million to 4 million acre-feet of water use reductions in the next 18 months to stave off a potential collapse in the Colorado River system.
The seven states have 60 days to come up with a water reduction plan.
To put “4 million acre-feet” in perspective, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — all together — divert roughly 3.5 million acre-feet annually from the Colorado River.
A 20-year drought accompanied by (excessive?) water withdrawals from the river has left the West’s two largest reservoirs well below their former levels, with Lake Mead just 24% full, and Lake Powell down to about 27% of capacity.
The feds have given us 18 months to come up with a plan.
A good time for unusually competent leadership, it would seem… and perhaps a willingness to think outside the box? Or maybe time, as Mr. Kenney suggested, for some exceptional innovation.
Disclosure: I currently serve on the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) board of directors, but this editorial reflects only my own personal opinions, and not necessarily those the PAWSD board as a whole.
Historically speaking — and as viewed through the lens of an investigative reporter — the San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD) board of directors has been one of the least functional volunteer boards in Archuleta County. This history of dysfunction dates back at least two decades.
I will be reviewing some of that history in this editorial series.
When I attended the SJWCD board meeting last month, however, I saw a glimmer of hope, in the form of fresh applicants for four vacant board seats. Three of the applicants strike me as promising additions, during a challenging time for any organization concerned with water policy and water conservation.
The fourth applicant, I would consider to be an unfortunate choice, if we are hoping for a board that behaves ethically and with an innovative spirit. (This one particular applicant would no doubt return the favor, meanwhile, by considering me to be an unfortunate choice for the SJWCD board.)
I myself served on the volunteer SJWCD board for the past three years, up until June 10. That’s a long story, and will no doubt be discussed — at least briefly — in a future installment. But first, we’ll touch on reasons to feel hopeful about the San Juan Water Conservancy District…
…before we touch on the reasons why we might not be justified in feeling that way.
Four local citizens recently submitted letters of interest to District Court Judge Jeffrey Wilson. SJWCD has existed since 1987, and the directors are appointed by the District Court, as the judge sees fit. But in spite of the fact that SJWCD is funded by Archuleta County property taxes, the District’s taxpayers have no direct say in who serves on the SJWCD board. The taxpayers just pay the District’s bills (and hope for the best.)
All four were appointed, and will presumably take their oath of office at the July 25 Board meeting.
The new applicants are Candice Jones, Bill Nobles, Rachel Suh and Rod Proffitt. The questions posed to the candidates during Board interviews on June 20 focused mainly on the District’s Strategic Plan, which was developed during my three-year tenure on the board.
You can download the Strategic Plan here. The board is currently working on an update to the plan.
During the Monday, June 20, meeting, Candice Jones introduced herself relatively new to Archuleta County, and as a retired attorney with a willingness to lend her experience in analyzing documents and complex situations. She said she does not intend to usurp the duties of SJWCD’s paid attorney, Durango-based Jeff Kane. The Board voted unanimously to recommend her appointment to Judge Wilson.
Bill Nobles and his wife Cindy recently returned to Pagosa Springs after spending 10 years working in Pueblo. Bill is now retired and will be contributing his experience working with the agriculture industry and as an educator. Mr. Nobles’ appointment was also unanimously supported by the existing board.
Rachel Suh is a current candidate for Archuleta Board of County Commissioners, and serves on the board for the Chimney Rock Interpretive Association. She has a background in project management and constitutional law. The SJWCD board voted unanimously to recommend her to the judge.
Applicant Rod Proffitt served for several years as the president of the SJWCD board, before resigning in 2018. Some of his story will be related in the “dysfunctional” part of this editorial series. Three of the four existing board members — Susan Nossaman, Joe Tedder and Doug Secrist — voted to recommend Mr. Proffitt to a board seat. SJWCD president Al Pfister opposed the board’s endorsement of Mr. Proffitt’s application.
I am in the same camp as president Pfister, in this regard.
During her interview, applicant Rachel Suh was asked why she wishes to serve on the SJWCD board, and she noted that she is active in a number of community groups, including the Chimney Rock Interpretive Association.
“The public perception of the Conservancy District is very negative. Even the newspaper calls it dysfunctional. I would like to help us change that, because — in my opinion — the strategic plan that you have implemented is very good. It’s also exceedingly necessary. I do believe it will have far-reaching effects…
“…For that reason, I would like to help you all implement that, and one of the ways we can do that is by seeing the issues that we have, as a board, and meeting ourselves where we are, and then figure out how we can move forward…”
Of course, in the world of government spending, one person’s movement “forward” is often seen by another person as being “backward”. I would tend to agree with Ms. Suh, however, that the general impression of the Conservancy District, among the taxpaying public, has tended to be “negative”.
Except… I might propose that most of the taxpaying public doesn’t even know the District exists.
And those who do know that it exists, might well be wondering why it exists.
Bill Hudson began sharing his opinions in the Pagosa Daily Post in 2004 and can’t seem to break the habit. He claims that, in Pagosa Springs, opinions are like pickup trucks: everybody has one.