Our Animas

Out of Deep Concern ... Answering the Call to Action The Animas River Community Forum (ARCF) is a group of citizens, businesses, government agencies and nonprofits that came together in response to the Gold King Mine release in summer of 2015. Our purpose is to: promote communication, coordination and collaborative action; foster public confidence; support resiliency in our communities; enhance planning, and improved public safety and health for the future. 

Our Animas was created by the Animas River Community Forum (ARCF) committee that shared a common vision of creating an educational document that would address community concerns, use locally collected data, promote the understanding of river health, and share actions that community members can take to support river resiliency. We intend to update this document every other year. We encourage you to provide comment on the document on our  website  . 

#1 Is my water safe to drink?

#2 Is my water safe to play in?

#3 Is food produced with my water safe to eat?

#4 Is the river safe for fish and wildlife?

#5 How is the overall function of the Animas River system?

#6 How is the Animas River important to our quality of life?

#7 What is impacting the natural system?

#8 Can the river sustain impacts? 

#9 What is my impact on the river and what can I do?

For each question, we present widely recognized indicators that reflect current local data to tell the story of the river. Dive in and take a look!

Silverton – Bear and Boulder creeks

Animas River Valley – primarily from groundwater wells

Durango – primarily from the Florida River supplemented by Animas River water in the summer

Aztec and Farmington – Animas River

Historically, the headwaters of the Animas River had Colorado River cutthroat trout in streams not influenced by the highly mineralized caldera geology. Many streams located in the caldera are naturally devoid of fish due to low pH (acid) and high metal concentrations. In other streams, steep gradients limit fish habitat. Anecdotal evidence suggests that historic mining activities contributed to loss of the small and isolated native fishery communities in these headwaters.

Brook and rainbow trout were introduced initially to provide food. Colorado Parks and Wildlife ceased stocking rainbow trout in this segment in the mid 1990s. A healthy population of brook trout exists in the Animas River upstream of Cement Creek (with some rainbow and cutthroat trout individuals as well). The length frequency distribution data for the Animas River at Howardsville show a range of fish sizes/ages, from young of year to older, egg-laying adults.

The Animas Canyon is difficult to access, so there are few sampling stations in this segment. In many healthy rivers, the fishery increases in individuals and species as sampling moves downstream. This is not the case for this segment of the Animas River. The fishery here supports very few individuals, primarily brook trout, although brown trout and rainbow trout have been collected. Low numbers of individuals and species, as well as a community comprising solely adult fish, indicate an unhealthy environment for fish in most of the Canyon. Cutthroat and rainbow trout are the most sensitive to the elevated metals present in this reach, then brown and brook trout.

Through this segment the Animas transitions from a steep canyon to a flat valley, then again increases its gradient and gradually shifts from a cold to a warm water fishery. The number of species increases downstream. Sampling data show a mix of native, introduced and invasive fish, both cold and warm water species

South of Highway 160 the Animas River supports a Colorado Parks and Wildlife-designated Gold Medal Trout fishery. To qualify as a Gold Medal water, a river must support a minimum of 12 “quality trout” of 14 inches or larger per acre.

As the Animas transitions from a cold to a warm water system, the numbers of trout decline, and warm water fish increase. Populations of mottled sculpin, speckled dace, and white, bluehead, and flannel mouth suckers increase downstream. Some invasive green sunfish and fathead minnows also occur. Downstream, water withdrawals and diversions remove water from the river, and can degrade habitat for some types of fish by reducing flows and increasing water temperature. However, mottled sculpin and speckled dace appear to be adapted to these conditions.

The New Mexico reach of the Animas River is dominated by bluehead sucker, flannelmouth sucker, and speckled dace. Two federally listed endangered fish that are native only to the Colorado River basin, Colorado pikeminnow and Razorback sucker, have been released in the Animas River near the confluence with the San Juan River by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish self-sustaining populations.

The Animas River plays a role in quality of life for residents and visitors to the watershed. “Quality of life” describes the health, comfort and happiness experienced by individuals and communities of people. Simply put, quality of life is how good or bad we perceive our life to be.

There is no one indicator for quality of life because people perceive and value quality of life differently. However, the fact that people express concern for how safe the water is for drinking, for playing and for wildlife suggests some of the ways that the river supports quality of life.

How does the Animas River and its watershed influence the quality of your food, home, income and health? Does the river influence your values, freedom, spirituality and/or desire to make a difference?

In a community survey conducted in 2016, respondents identified the river qualities that they value and that contribute to their quality of life (see Figure 10).

Additionally, community members who were surveyed stated:

The Animas River is a source of peace and joy.

The Animas River is a vital part of my heritage as a Native American.

The Animas River is where we have family time.

The Animas River is pretty and draws people – tourism.

I appreciate the Animas River for its beauty, the environment, and the scenic river trail.

The Animas provides a place to relax and for contemplation.

If you live in or visit the Animas watershed, you will have some level of impact on the river system. Each person in the Animas watershed can take actions, large and small, to minimize the risk of our cumulative impacts on our river.

5/9/2020

Sample Update - Regional update affecting the Animas River.

Link to additional info.

5/8/2020

Sample Update - Impact affecting the Animas River Watershed.

Link to additional info.

5/7/2020

Sample Update - Local Agency issues XXXXX study on the Animas River.

Link to additional info.