In this arid corner of La Plata County, the trite observation that every drop of water counts is more than a cliché. It’s gospel. It’s logical then that the dam under construction a mile or two south of here to hold back water against hard times is a popular project.

According to the Colorado Division of Water Resources, Animas River flows in November were the lowest in 102 years of record keeping at just 9,209 acre-feet (af). Rege Leach, Division engineer in Durango, indicated the second-lowest flows occurred in 1934 with 9,374 af.

It’s no wonder the Animas River looks like a trickle. The total flow in the Animas through Durango during November was 9,209 acre-feet, the lowest in 102 years of records, Rege Leach, the state Division of Water Resources engineer in Durango, said Thursday. The second-lowest flow in the Animas was in 1934, when 9,374 acre-feet flowed through Durango, Leach said.

Driving down a highway, somewhere this side of the New Mexico line, I see a house surrounded by rusted out farm implements. I see a field, churned up and parched under another bright blue October sky. I see a dam being built. A dam!? Yes, a dam. The era of huge Western water projects has long been over.

Southwestern Colorado’s rivers are unique in that many of the rivers and tributaries flow from north to south and are administered as independent river systems. This is due to the fact that many, such as the Navajo, Blanco, Piedra, Pine, Florida, Animas, La Plata, and Mancos Rivers, are tributary to the San Juan River in New Mexico or just upstream of the state line.

There was a long-awaited groundbreaking ceremony for Long Hollow Reservoir on July 10^th.

There was a long-awaited groundbreaking ceremony for Long Hollow Reservoir on July 10^th. The project is a key component in an effort to store water for Colorado ranchers and help satisfy the state’s La Plata River obligation to New Mexico.

A century of water records show that 2002, the year of the Missionary Ridge Fire, was the driest in Southwest Colorado. But 2012 is close behind, in fourth place. Officials have 99 years of flow records for the Animas River, Rege Leach, the Colorado Division of Water Resources engineer in Durango, said Friday.

It seemed anyone who was or is someone in the production, distribution or consumption of water in Southwest Colorado for the last 60 years gathered Tuesday at a spot on Long Hollow. The occasion was the groundbreaking for the Long Hollow Reservoir dam, the key component in an effort to store water for Colorado ranchers and help satisfy the state’s La Plata River obligation to New Mexico.