SJWCD and Josh Kurz present Water Fluency 101 at the Ruby Sisson Library Thursday, October 5, at 6 pm. All are encouraged to learn about our water future at this public Lifelong Long Learning presentation. Bring your questions about our water.
Since we live in the headwaters of the San Juan River, we can see our wilderness watersheds from our windshields and we are fortunate to be the first water users in its journey downstream. Our drinking water may have been frozen in a snowfield on Saddle Mountain, plunged over Treasure Falls, or paused for a few days in Fourmile Lake.
Like the Ancient Puebloans, we collect, divert, and store water to sustain us, but on a much larger scale. But unlike the Ancient Puebloans, our modern society might not realize how living on the edge of a desert is a precarious endeavor, subject to the whims of the weather. Our flowing faucets may cause us to take clean water for granted (although members of our community that haul water or use groundwater tend to be exceptions).
Many residents in our community can receive water from an elaborate storage and distribution system that was planned, built, and maintained by previous generations. But how does our local municipal and agricultural water system work, what are the threats to our water supply, and is our current water supply adequate to meet the needs of future generations?
The San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD) has a mission to secure a sustainable water future for the District that encompasses all of Pagosa Springs and much of Archuleta County. Whereas the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) focuses solely on municipal water supply and demand, the SJWCD’s mission includes all demands on our water including agricultural, recreational, environmental, as well as municipal. They also seek to educate the public about water-related issues impacting all demands on our water supply and promote water conservation. As a watershed scientist and educator who is passionate about water, I’ve partnered with the SJWCD to improve our community’s water fluency and inspire water conservation.
To boost our community’s water fluency, I’ve scheduled three water talks to unveil a water infographic that I created. The infographic spatially depicts our local municipal water storage and distribution system and condenses a host of water supply indicators into one location. Ultimately, I hope that our community embraces the infographic as a way to visualize, understand, and communicate the factors that influence the quality, quantity, and future of our municipal water supply.
And since I’m an educator, I created a water quiz (insert link) so you can test your water knowledge. But don’t worry, it’s open-note (hint: use the water infographic) and I won’t send the results to your parents. Instead, I will be explaining the water infographic and answering any questions that you still have with the help of the SJWCD at the following public meeting:
I will base my effectiveness as an educator on whether you can casually use acronyms like cfs, SWE, and MGD in conversations with your friends and neighbors, and your ability to trace your water back to your favorite mountains on the horizon. And maybe you’ll use less water too! I hope to see you at one of the water talks.
WIP keeps water organizations connected and educates all ages about our most vital resource – water. https://waterinfo.org/