Watershed Plan Summary
Lower Animas River Watershed Based Plan (2016)
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
San Juan Watershed Group Mountain Studies Institute
San Juan Soil and Water	Animas Watershed Partnership
Conservation District
PLAN COVERAGE
The Lower Animas Watershed Based Plan focuses on the Animas River from the Colorado/New
Mexico border south to the confluence with the San Juan River at Farmington, New Mexico. The
plan was accepted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on August 9, 2016.
PLAN GOALS
The stated objective of the LAWBP is to "combine water quality trends with land use data and the
practical experience of local stakeholders to make informed decisions on how best to improve
water quality on the Animas River." Completed and proposed projects and outreach efforts
including the following categories:
•	Septic, sewer, and wastewater management
•	Agricultural best management practices (BMPs)
•	Upland restoration and best management practices
•	Urban stormwater projects
•	Riparian restoration
•	Streambank, wetland, and floodplain restoration
•	Irrigation infrastructure improvements
The stated long-term goal of the plan "is to restore the Animas River to ari unimpaired condition
such that it meets all its designated uses."
CONSIDERATIONS
Completed and planned projects listed below are based solely on the information provided in
the plan. The plan indicates that projects with a start date of 2016 "have either already begun, or
funding sources have been secured and projects are set to begin within the year." These projects
were considered to be complete, and all other projects in the plan were categorized as "to be
done."

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COMPLETED PROJECTS
Project Type
Description
Planned
Completion
Date
Cost
Additional Information
Septic, sewer, and
wastewater treatment
Utility bill mailing: outreach flier on proper septic care, permitting, and
stopping illegal clumping
Annually
$2,500
None
Illegal clumping outreach and enforcement campaign
Ongoing
$5,000
None
RV waste disposal signage and outreach campaign
2016-2017
$5,000
None
Sewer line from Farmington to Flora Vista
2016-2020
$9,000,000
None
Agricultural best
management practices
(BMPs)
Installation of riparian fence, alternative water source, and filter strip at top
three riparian pasture priority sites
2016-2019
$88,518
None
Irrigated cropland BMPs within Animas Valley
2016
Not available
None
Soil health and agricultural BMP workshops
Annually from
2016 to 2020
$2,000
None
Ongoing outreach to agricultural producers to identify needs and project
opportunities
Ongoing
Not available
None
Upland erosion control
and revegetation
Sagebrush aerial treatment in Arch Rock Canyon and Cox Canyon
2016-2018
$28,000
None
Road unit erosion control in Hart Canyon
Ongoing
Not available
None
Urban stormwater
Municipal separate stormwater system (MS4) stormwater outreach campaign
Ongoing
Not available
None
Current MS4 detention ponds—Porter Arroyo detention pond, Villa View
detention pond
2016-2017
Not available
None
City of Aztec arroyo study and future stormwater infrastructure
2016-2017
Not available
None
Riparian restoration
Revegetation of 13.3 miles of river, including pasture areas and areas cleared
of Russian olive and salt cedar
Ongoing
$140,587
Project cost with overlap with
agricultural BMP projects
City of Aztec streambank and river restoration
2016-2021
Not available
None
Irrigation infrastructure
improvement projects
Irrigation ditch system needs assessment
2016
Not available
None

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PLANNED PROJECTS
Project Type
Description
Planned
Completion
Date
Cost
Additional Information
Septic, sewer,
and wastewater
treatment
Updates to Durango Wastewater Treatment Plant
2017-2021
$20,000,000
None
Onsite treatment utility for Villa de Animas subdivision
Not available
Not available
Pending New Mexico
Environment Department
enforcement of liguid waste
permit regulations
Septic tank inspection and repair campaign
2018
$100,000
None
Cost-share funds for individual septic tank repair/replacement; lobby state
legislature to fund the Liguid Waste Indigent Fund
2019
Not available
None
Agricultural
BMPs
Pasture BMPs education and outreach campaign
2017, 2019,
and 2021
$500
None
Installation of riparian fence, alternative water source, and filter strip at Ditch and
Tucker riparian pasture priority sites
2018-2021
$116,488
None
Installation of riparian fence, alternative water source, and filter strip at remaining
Estes and Flora Vista riparian pasture priority sites
2018-2021
$36,652
None
Upland erosion
control and
revegetation
Invasive removal, native planting, and small erosion control structures in Cox Canyon
2019
$30,000
None
Sediment fences in Cox Canyon
2019
$38,000
None
Pipeline erosion control in Cox and Kiffen Canyons
Not available
Not available
Unknown timeline, outreach
to be conducted in 2017
Pirion—juniper thinning in Cox Canyon
2020
$500,000
None
Pirion—juniper thinning in Ditch Canyon
2020
$1,750,000
None
,500 acres of pinon—juniper thinning in Flora Vista hydrologic unit code (HUC)
2020
$750,000
None
Salt cedar removal, 84.4 acres
2017
$168,820
None
Lower Animas Ditch siphon erosion control at Knowlton Canyon crossing
2019
$22,000
None
Lower Animas Ditch siphon erosion control at Hart Valley crossing
2019
$12,000
None

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PLANNED PROJECTS (continued)
Project Type
Description
Planned
Completion
Date
Cost
Additional Information
Upland erosion
control and
revegetation
Dry sediment basin in Flora Vista HUC
2021
Not available
None
Urban
stormwater
Future MS4 detention ponds'
2018-2020
Not available
None
Green infrastructure/low impact development workshop
2018
$16,000
None
Riparian
restoration
Animas River riparian restoration, Tucker Canyon HUC
2017-2020
$41,264
Project cost overlap with
agricultural BMP projects
Flora Vista river and riparian restoration
2017-2022
Not available
None
Farmington Animas Rock Garden
2017
Not available
None
Farmington Anesi Park
2019-2022
$515,318
None
Irrigation
infrastructure
improvement
projects
Cedar Ditch diversion improvement
Not available
Not available
None
Kello-Blancett diversion improvement
Not available
Not available
None
Ranchmans-Ierrell diversion improvement
Not available
Not available
None
FOR MORE INFORMATION
The watershed plan is available online.

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