Yamaguchi South Project
The San Juan River forms the "foundational infrastructure" for our local recreational and economic tourism-based activities, including boating, fishing, trails, bird-watching, etc. While downtown Pagosa Springs currently offers a variety of recreational opportunities, river access is restricted.
Grant funding will be used for designing and installing various new and/or improved river access points (graded/gravel boat ramps, wading/swimming holes), channel features (sandbars, riffles, and pools) along the banks of Yamaguchi South, a town-owned public park. This will enhance recreation options at various river flows, reduce access conflicts, create geomorphology more resilient to hydrological and sediment deposition changes, install channel and stream bank shaping, and create diverse aquatic habitats that support coldwater trout and native fish populations in the face of drought and climate change. It will also improve the water irrigation system for Yamaguchi Park, including a new in-stream rock diversion structure with a headgate and an open water delivery ditch to an adjacent wetland pond that would be used for irrigation water storage and wetland pond habitat.
The project objectives are to:
- Create diverse aquatic habitats that support coldwater trout and native fish populations in the face of drought and climate change.
- Create geomorphology more resilient to hydrological and sediment deposition changes.
- Enhance recreation options at various river flows and reduce access conflicts.
- Improve the water irrigation system for Yamaguchi Park, including a new in-stream rock diversion structure with a headgate and an open water delivery ditch to an adjacent wetland pond that would be used for irrigation water storage and wetland pond habitat.
