An avalanche or two above the headgate at Bear Creek blocked two creeks and nearly choked off Silverton’s water supply, which in turn froze their water line in February. The town’s public works crew struggled for 12 days to keep water flowing to businesses and residences. At one point, the crew had to use the fire department’s water truck to transfer water to the plant to keep the town supplied. Kuddos and congratulation to the Silverton’s public works crew for putting in long hours under miserable conditions to keep the town’s water system flowing.

The Town of Silverton recently completed reconstruction of the Molas Lake Dam, as well as rehabilitation to the Molas Lake Ditch. These upgrades were needed to support a 2004 municipal water right filing on the Molas Ditch. The dam improvements were a requirement imposed by the State Engineer, Division of Water Resources, to improve the small earthn

The complexities of climate change and its effects on the San Juan Mountains are not well known, but research is being done to dig up some answers.

Avalanches that blocked two creeks nearly choked off Silverton’s water supply in recent days, but the town crew reported Wednesday morning that the crisis had passed, and the town’s 800,000-gallon water tank is filling again.

Another bureaucratic hurdle in the cleanup of the Animas River was broken down Wednesday, with a new interpretation of environmental policy from the Environmental Protection Agency. In a call with news media, U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., announced that the EPA would loosen restrictions on “good Samaritans” looking to clean up abandoned hard-rock mines throughout the West.

The effort to stanch the toxic drainage from abandoned hardrock mines here no longer faces a takeover by the federal government. “We’ve heard loud and clear that you want a collaborative approach,” Martin Hesmark, acting assistant regional director of U.S.

Join the Mountain Studies Institute, San Juan Mountain Association, and the Water Information Program for two days of hands-on exploration of our locaal watersheds. The Workshop is based on the My Water Comes from the San Juan Mountains book and curriculum guide which includes place-based activities that address Colorado State Standards.

More than 100 bridges washed away. Several deaths. Railroad tracks, more than 300 miles worth, destroyed in every direction. All telegraph and telephone communications lost. Six feet of water rushing down 15th Street. Virtually all the crops in the Animas Valley destroyed. An estimated $1.5 million in damage across the region.

The largest gold producer ever in Silverton has offered $6.5 million toward cleaning up toxic waste leaking from one of its shuttered mines. A letter from the Sunnyside Gold Corp. was received Tuesday by the stakeholders group that has been working on cleanup since 1994.

A meeting in Silverton this week concerning heavy-metal contamination of the Animas River increased public knowledge of the problem but produced no immediate solutions. “We wanted to bring people up to date on the quality of water in the Animas and why it’s getting worse,” Pete