Lots of information is flying around about the San Juan below Navajo Dam these days. Unfortunately, almost none of it is grounded in hard scientific data.
Before anyone takes action on the San Juan, a science-based study needs to take place to determine what is changing about the river and what steps might be prudent to correct those problems.
I think pretty much everyone who has watched the San Juan over the last decade would agree that the river is changing. Is that change the result of oil and gas development and is it likely to degrade the fishery? Maybe, maybe not.
I fished the Juan for a couple of hours just last week. I caught some nice fish, but many of the areas I used to fish are now buried under a foot of sand. My experience tells me that fishing is still pretty good, but also that the river is changing. What that experience cannot tell me is what the fishery will look like in five years if it continues along its current trend.
The simple fact is, we need a science-based study to determine what’s going on.
The debate on the San Juan has unfortunately turned into a debate of personalities, which is not helpful. The truth is, most everyone is on the same page about the issues surrounding the river – and that is that there is only circumstantial data either way.
The white paper put together by the New Mexico Dept. of Game and Fish is a good start, but it does not really address the heart of the issue, sediment.
Their data, specifically their data on oil and gas impacts on sediment, was flawed. If you read the original study NMGF based their white paper on, you will note that results were flawed because a heavy rain event blew out the sediment screens on roads and well pads. Therefore, the study said that oil and gas was responsible for at least 13 percent of sediment, and likely much more.
Since the sediment study was done, the storm water restrictions of the clean water act were removed in 2005, so it is likely that the sediment from oil and gas has increased further, not even counting the increase of wells and roads on the mesa surrounding the river.
Still, we don’t know where that sediment is entering the river, how it is affecting aquatic invertebrates or how it’s likely to affect the fishery long term.
Because of these gaps in the data, we need to continue working together as sportsmen to ensure that adequate work is done to protect the $38 million fishery below Navajo Dam.
For the time being, our position here in New Mexico is that sufficient research into the causes of increased sediment in the San Juan River below Navajo Dam have not yet been determined, but we, like most other users of the area have seen marked changes in the physiology of the river. We believe that it is important that NMGF, BOR, BLM and USFWS partner in a study to investigate the changes occurring and determine the causes and possible solutions before more sportsmen dollars are spent on restoration efforts.