Map of the Colorado River Basin. (Source: https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/colorado-river-basin-map)
Map of the Colorado River Basin. (Source: https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/colorado-river-basin-map)

The San Juan River is a diverse system with a complicated history. It brings life to Northwestern New Mexico and holds the second-largest lake in New Mexico: Navajo Lake. Originating as snowmelt in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, the river winds through the deserts of northern New Mexico and Southeastern Utah to join the Colorado River at Glen Canyon.

Beginning in the 20th century and continuing to this day, fossil-fuel drilling in the San Juan Basin and uranium mining along the lower river in Utah has generated concerns about water quality in the trout-rich waters, which feed the community and attract anglers from all over the world. Runoff from abandoned gold and silver mines has been an ongoing issue, evidenced by the 2015 Gold King Mine wastewater spill into the Animas River, the main tributary of the San Juan. Parts of the San Juan Watershed were then listed as impaired – they do not meet one or more water quality standards.

Figure 2. Source: USGS National Map data.
Figure 2. Source: USGS National Map data.

Getting to know Water Quality in the San Juan

Surface waters in New Mexico are sampled by the New Mexico Environment Department for water quality once every 10 years. The San Juan was last sampled by NMED during the 2017-2018 year. The EPA waterway map shows impaired waters in the San Juan Watershed in red. In collaboration with Trout Unlimited, Amigos Bravos has begun a yearly sampling project in the San Juan to supplement this data.

Using Farmington as the search location. (Map source: https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway.)
Using Farmington as the search location. (Map source: https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway.)

Water quality impairment details

Waters not meeting water quality standards and their corresponding impairment in the San Juan Watershed include:

1. Upper San Juan
Gallegos Canyon (San Juan River to Navajo boundary): E. coli, total recoverable selenium, temperature.Los Pinos River (Navajo Reservoir to Colorado border): temperature.Navajo Reservoir: Mercury, Fish consumption advisory, temperature.Navajo River (Jicarilla Apache Nation to Colorado border): temperature, phosphorus, total turbidity.San Juan River (Animas River to Canon Largo): Sedimentation/siltation.San Juan River (New Mexico reach upstream of Navajo Reservoir): E. coli, total recoverable aluminum.Animas River (Estes Arroyo to Southern Ute Indian Tribe boundary): nutrients, temperature, turbidity, dissolved lead, total phosphorus.Animas River (San Juan River to Estes Arroyo): temperature.Lake Farmington (Beeline Reservoir): Mercury, fish consumption advisory.
2. Middle San Juan
La Plata River (McDermott Arroyo to Southern Ute Indian Tribe boundary): Nutrients, E. coli.La Plata River (San Juan River to McDermott Arroyo): dissolved oxygen, sedimentation/siltation, E. coli.San Juan River (Navajo boundary at Hogback to Animas River): Sedimentation/siltation, E. coli.Shumway Arroyo (San Juan River to Ute Mountain Ute boundary): E. coli.Stevens Arroyo (Perennial parts San Juan River to headwaters): E. coli.Because of elevated mercury levels in the San Juan River, fish consumption advisories are in effect within its tributaries at Lake Farmington (Beeline Lake) and Navajo Lake. Limits on fish consumption vary based on the lake, fish species, and size of the fish. To find the limits for each fish species and size, visit https://www.env.nm.gov/surface-water-quality/fish-consumption-advisories/. In Lake Farmington, the advisories are limits for consumption of: channel catfish, largemouth bass, and white bass. Currently in Navajo Lake, there are limits for consumption of: bluegill, channel catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, northern pike, rainbow trout, and smallmouth bass.
Amigos Bravos and Trout Unlimited data collection project

Amigos Bravos and Trout Unlimited are monitoring the San Juan near Navajo Dam to track water quality for the Special Trout Waters that are designated by the New Mexico Game and Fish. Clean water ensures healthy habitat for trout and great fishing for everyone else.

The 5 Rivers Trout Unlimited Chapter in Durango has been leading the monitoring effort with their local volunteers from Farmington and Durango. Volunteers are going out at least once a season to sample for the following parameters: temperature, pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Conductivity, Salinity, Total Dissolved Solids, E. coli, Gross Alpha, total dissolved solids, total nitrogen, total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, nitrate, phosphorus, ammonia, and 23 different metals. Metals include: aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, mercury, nickel, potassium, selenium, silver, sodium, thallium, vanadium, and zinc.

To date, four locations along the San Juan River east of Farmington have been sampled on May 12, June 22, 23 and Sept. 25. Streamside parameters were sampled in May, and lab samples for 23 metals, E. coli, and nutrients were collected and analyzed in June and September.

Courtesy of Amigos Bravos.
Courtesy of Amigos Bravos.

Results: Values for phosphorus were slightly higher than common water quality standards for phosphorus. E. coli, being a common source of impairment, was not found to be above the limit in June or September. Mercury was not found above the reporting limit. All other parameters tested for were within allowable levels.

Moving forward: We will continue with this yearly sampling, and modify it based on impaired waters and findings each year. For example, we will check for selenium and lead next year, because those have been found as causes of impairments in the San Juan and the Animas by the NMED.

Sampling is important to understanding the baseline health of the San Juan River and its watershed. Knowing the impairments tells us more information on what may be causing the impairments, and possibly how to address them to improve the quality of our waters. As a community together, when we sample, monitor, and then determine how to care for the health of our waters, we also determine care for the health of our lands and people.

What can you do?
Get Involved. Become a citizen science volunteer and sample the San Juan year-round. Contact Shannon Romeling at sromeling@amigosbravos.org to become a volunteer or simply ask questions.Support New Mexico Environment Department funding whenever possible, so that our surface waters can be sampled more often across the state.Join Amigos Bravos at www.amigosbravos.org and follow them on Facebook and Instagram to see updates on our work.Join the 5 Rivers Trout Unlimited Chapter at https://fiveriverstu.org/ and follow them on Facebook and Instagram to see upcoming events.

Shannon Romeling, projects and foundations coordinator. (Courtesy of Amigos Bravos)
Shannon Romeling, projects and foundations coordinator. (Courtesy of Amigos Bravos)

Amigos Bravos has worked to protect and restore the waters of New Mexico since 1988. Shannon began working for Amigos Bravos in 2012 and is currently the Projects and Foundations Coordinator. Her work includes grants management, water quality sampling, river otter monitoring, and youth, youths and adult outreach activities.