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Win a UWP T-shirt by identifying where the photo above was taken. Hint: the answer is somewhere in this email! Send your answer to Tanya at uwpcommunications@gmail.com.
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Such a difficult year! Pandemic, drought, wildfires, political and social unrest... To cope, my new slogan is: Focus on the gifts from nature and good people that make life worthwhile. I realize that may not be always be easy, depending on your circumstances, but I find it helpful.
Right here in Ouray County, we can focus on an inspiring natural phenomenon: the kokanee salmon moving upstream from Ridgway Reservoir to spawn. This October, similar to past autumns, we have seen these hardy little fish in the Uncompahgre River at Rollans Park in Ridgway. You may still be able to see some kokanee if you go to the park and check out the deep pool between the highway and pedestrian bridges. As UWP Technical Coordinator Ashley Bembenek says: "Hooray for aquatic life upstream of the reservoir!" In this river section, metal concentrations may limit the health of aquatic creatures, but encouraging evidence shows that this reach supports some aquatic and riparian wildlife such as ducks and dippers (and their river-inhabiting prey).
We can focus on the good uses of the Clean Water Act which turned 48 years old, last Sunday, October 18, 2020. One of the most comprehensive environmental statutes in the United States, it seeks to protect both human health and ecological resources, maintain healthy waters, and restore waters that are impaired. As such, it supports work that our nonprofit watershed group pursues to protect and improve our watershed resources.
The Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) live event in Ridgway was cancelled in the spring, but a virtual version of the film festival was put together by the national organizers for late August/early September. RIGS Fly Shop & Guide Service headed up the effort by paying for the film rental, selling tickets and collecting donations, with all proceeds going to future UWP projects. A total of $2,000 was raised, thanks to all who contributed. We hope some of these funds will pay a part-time coordinator to help organize a volunteer committee to oversee future recreation-related projects.
Though UWP also had to cancel Ridgway RiverFest, our biggest community event and annual fundraiser in June, due to the pandemic, we have reserve funds to get us through times like these so we are still just as active as ever. Please read below to see what we've been up to for the past six months. Also, check out photos from some of our summer and fall activities at the bottom of the email.
Thank you for focusing on the watershed with us!
Tanya Ishikawa, UWP Communications Coordinator
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In July and September, UWP staff collected high and low-flow water quality samples and flow measurements from Governor Creek to characterize pre-project water quality conditions for our Governor Basin Project. The results along with existing information will be used in the project assessment and approval process, supervised by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). UWP and our partners, including Ouray Silver Mines Inc. (OSMI), continue to collaborate on design and approval for the project that addresses impacts of legacy mining at the Terrible and Virginius Mines.
Another legacy mining-related project that has moved forward this year is the Atlas Mill Tailings Remediation. OSMI and Trout Unlimited (TU) are working on this project that is approximately an 8-acre footprint with 4.7 acres of contamination present in the form of legacy waste rock and tailings from the former Atlas Mill Site up County Road 361 above Ouray. With UWP only supporting planning efforts as needed, project partners include the USFS and EPA.
A Good Samaritan Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) was needed as the legal binding approval document between TU (Good Sam) and the USFS. The process to develop the AOC took over eight months and will be a good template for UWP and others to work on future projects in the watershed. John Reams Construction, out of Naturita, was the selected contractor and is working at the site with TU. The general scope will involve installation of three drainage controls with drainage fans along the top and bottom sections of the consolidated tailings and waste piles, streambank stabilization and waste removal along Sneffels Creek (UWP completed work immediately upstream of the current work site from 2015-2017), as well as revegetation through grading, consolidation, and amending of contaminated waste rock and tailings.
U.S. Forest Service Invites Comments on Mineral Lease for Ouray Silver Mines: The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG), Ouray Ranger District, is inviting the public to comment on a proposal from Ouray Silver Mines, Inc. (OSMI). OSMI has applied to lease approximately 152 acres of locatable minerals under National Forest System (NFS) acquired lands, which are patented mining claims that reverted to public domain status. The requested “fringe lease” would allow OSMI to mine the patented claims, located under NFS lands, as part of OSMI’s Revenue Mine. The "fringe lease" would increase access to silver, gold, copper, lead, and zinc mineral deposits in the patented claims located under NFS lands. If approved, this proposal would potentially extend the life of the Revenue-Virginius mine by several years. For more information, go to: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=58860. (Comment deadline: 11/13/2020)
Below are photos from a tour of the Upper Uncompahgre Watershed in early September, during a visit by new staff from the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) section of the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE). The TMDL section develops information that is used to establish permit limits for point source discharges and clean-up goals for non-point sources. Led by staff from UWP, the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, and OSMI, this on-the-ground experience helped the CDPHE staff better understand the Uncompahgre River, its tributaries, historic mine sites, and unique natural features. This will be important as the agency reviews water quality and flow data to develop TMDLs for this watershed. Like they always say, you gotta see it to believe it!
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Watching Rivers & Reservoirs
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Watersheds in southwestern Colorado, including the Uncompahgre, are identified as being in extreme to exceptional drought conditions by the U.S. Drought Monitor. For more information, see the National Integrated Drought Information System.
Tri-County Water Conservancy District has reported Ridgway Reservoir at 61% full. But, this is not the only reservoir experiencing water levels, that are well below average, as you can read in an article by Water Education Colorado.
Stream flows have continued to decrease throughout the watershed. On Oct. 22 at 10:30 a.m., the following river flow conditions were reported at USGS river gauges in the watershed:
- Uncompahgre River at the pedestrian bridge north of Ouray, flowing at 32% of average
- Uncompahgre River at CR24 upstream of Ridgway Reservoir, flowing at 57% of average*
- Uncompahgre River at Pa-Co-Chu-Puk in Ridgway State Park, flowing at 29% of average
- Uncompahgre River at Colona in north Ouray County, flowing at 29% of average
Lower stream flows may impact the water quality, and we hope to learn whether they do when we analyze the data collected by UWP's five volunteers who sample water at six key sites in the Upper Uncompahgre Watershed. This data, garnered from monthly samples taken through the Colorado River Watch program, is crucial in understanding water quality in the watershed, and helping to plan restoration projects. Arlen Huggins is the volunteer River Watch liaison to the UWP Board, who helps troubleshoot and report on sampling activities and administration. Huggins also goes out every season of the year to collect samples, as do volunteers: Amy Relnick, John Hulburd, Diane Spooner, and Ronna Edgett-Underwood.
In September 2020, Huggins produced UWP’s first comprehensive report on past River Watch data within the upper watershed. The report can be viewed and downloaded here: 2020 UWP River Watch Report. (Photo below by Arlen Huggins)
* Why is this average higher? In the lower watershed, more water is taken out of streams for various uses, particularly to irrigate pastures. This water use reduces the current flow and average flow, and in some cases, may cause the percent average flow to appear larger than at other gauges with less water use and more natural flows.
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UWP 2021-2023 Strategic Plan
After several meetings and community outreach activities, UWP is almost ready to approve the Strategic Plan to guide our nonprofit activities for the next three years. The UWP Board is set to approve a final draft of the plan at our November meeting. Until then, we are collecting stakeholder input on the current draft. You can view the Draft here, and email Tanya at uwpcommunications@gmail.com if you have ideas for improvements on it.
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Upcoming Events
Tuesday, December 8
Colorado Gives Day
Year-End Membership Drive
November-December 2020
February 2020
Snowshoe Tours with Watershed Education
March 2020
Upper Uncompahgre Watershed Webinar Series
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Summer/Fall 2020 Photo Gallery
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San Juan Mining & Rec. Conference
The 2020 Conference in September had over 120 registrants, 50 people for the in-person mine and tailings tours, and great networking during the happy hours. You can see videos of the presentations here. A big thank you to sponsors: Newmont, CDM Smith, Heritage, SLR, Ouray Silver Mines, ACZ Laboratories, HDR, Linkan Engineering, Colorado Mining Association, and Seek Outside. Additional thanks to Basecamp Ouray, Mountain Lodge Telluride, You Knew Me When (for the great music!), Ska Brewing, Colorado Boy Brewing, and RIGS Fly Shop and Guide Service for your donations.
Photo above is a tour of Idarado tailings remediation up Red Mountain Pass. Photo at top of email is from a tour of the Pandora Mine entrance and bulkhead. Thank you, Newmont.
July Guided Wildflower Walk
Guide Mary Menz
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Unc River Cleanup – Pa-Co-Chu-Puk
Our biggest cleanup group of 2020! Ridgway State Park and UWP welcomed 28 volunteers to this event last week. Though the number of pounds collected was relatively low, we pulled yards and yards of fishing line out of the environment! A big thanks to Telluride Flyfishers, Montrose Anglers, and RIGS Fly Shop & Guide Service staff for taking the afternoon off to work with us. RIGS also donated some popular hats and accessories as gifts for volunteers. Plus, we were joined by more than a handful of volunteers from the Trout Unlimited Gunnison Gorge Anglers chapter, and a family from Oregon who was camping at the park. Looking forward to seeing you again, next year!
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Many, many thanks to the donors who helped make our 2019 Year-End Membership and Donation Drive a great success. You can learn more about the programs supported by past donations in the 2019 Annual Report.
The Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership receives financial and in-kind support from many generous donors, sponsors and granting organizations, including
BeP Earthwise Foundation
Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment
Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety
Double RL Ranch
Town of Ridgway
Marti & Patrick O'Leary
Gary Roberts
Telluride Foundation
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For information about UWP:
uncompahgrewatershed.org
To donate or become
a member of UWP:
uncompahgrewatershed.org/
membership
To learn about ways for your shopping to send more donations our way (without costing you anything extra): Trigger Donations While You Shop
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