The Southwest Basin is located in the southwest corner of Colorado and covers an area of approximately 10,169 square miles. The largest cities within the basin are Durango (pop. 15,213) and Cortez (pop. 8,328). The region also includes three ski areas: Telluride, Wolf Creek and Durango Mountain Resort.

The Southwest Basin is projected to increase in municipal and industrial (M&I) water demand between 17,000 acre feet (AF) and 27,000 AF by 2050 with passive conservation included.
 
To learn more about the Southwest Basin, see the Basin Fact Sheet.

Recent Roundtable Meetings
Meeting Date	Meeting Materials
April 11, 2012	Agenda
January 11, 2012	Agenda
October 12, 2011	Agenda

Southwest Basin Roundtable (BRT) Priorities

• Ensure endangered species’ needs do not negatively impact future in-basin uses
• Address compact delivery impacts to existing and future in-basin water rights
• Address potential agricultural firming needs
• Ensure adequate water for future needs
  • M&I
  • Agricultural
  • Environmental
  • Recreational

Southwest BRT Activities and Accomplishments
The Southwest Basin is actively working on updates to its consumptive needs assessment. The Southwest Basin has completed and approved Phase I of its nonconsumptive needs assessment (NCNA) through the creation of a map with subcategory counts by stream segment. The nonconsumptive subcategories included six different attributes of environmental and recreational items. A large portion of the streams and lakes contained at least one environmental or recreational subcategory. The Southwest Basin Roundtable completed a geodatabase incorporating both nonconsumptive and consumptive projects. The database will highlight opportunities for collaboration as well as potential conflicts related to future development of the basin’s needs.

Southwest Basin’s Major Projects and Programs ­

• Dry Gulch Reservoir ­
• Animas-La Plata Project ­
• Long Hollow Reservoir ­
• La Plata Archuleta Water District

Roundtable Information
Meetings	Bi-monthly, alternating between Durango and Cortez
Leadership	Chair: Mike Preston Vice-Chairs: Ken Beegles and Gary Kennedy  Representatives: John Porter and Steve Harris  Recorder: Jane Maxom
Subcommittees	Consumptive Needs Assessment Nonconsumptive Needs Assessment
Roundtable Governance	There are 34 voting members of the Southwest BRT Basin By-laws

 

Next Basin Roundtable Meeting

Additional Information Southwest BRT Members Southwest Basin By-laws Southwest Basin Fact Sheet Southwest Education Action Plan Southwest Water Supply Reserve Account Grants  Southwest Geo PDF   CDSS San Juan/Dolores Basin Background Information Reference  San Juan/Dolores Basin Water Resources Planning Model User’s Manual Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI) (~79 MB)

Contact the Southwest BRT 841 Second Avenue, West Building P.O. Box 475 Durango, CO 81302 Chairperson: Mike Preston

Southwest BRT Reports & Documents
Southwest SWSI 2010 Basin Report (Final Draft, ~13 MB)  Southwest Basin Nonconsumptive Map and Associated Background Southwest Basin Working Needs Assessment (SWSI Report)   Use the Document Search below to find additional Southwest BRT documents not listed here.

Southwest BRT Document Search Check out the latest documents from the Southwest BRT, including meeting minutes, reports and presentations. Select Southwest from the basin roundtable dropdown to limit the results to the Southwest BRT.