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Get to know your waters: Our Water Story
The San Juan Mountains naturally produce millions of gallons of water each year. This extraordinary process provides fresh clean water on which all life depends. Those of us who live near the San Juan Mountains enjoy the plentiful benefits from this water, and we work together to care for the lands from which it springs.
"Waters from your national forests improve lives and livelihoods far beyond their boundaries" - Your Best Waters, US Forest Service video
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Water Connects Us All
Water is essential to life.
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Part of an Endless Cycle
The miraculous journey of water
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Home to Headwaters
Located along the continental divide, the San Juans are the source of important rivers.
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Find Your Water Source
Get to know your watershed
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Special Species
Rare native fish and plants depend on our water
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Role of National Forests
The Forest Service manages the largest single source of water in the US
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Caring for Water
Our many water uses, coupled with increasing environmental changes, are causing threats to our precious water cycle
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Water Community
It takes all of us to manage water on private, state and other lands in southwest Colorado.
Highlights
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Video: Your Best Waters
Benefits of National Forests and your waters. Learn how the USDA Forest Service manages habitat for 220,000 miles of America’s fishable streams and rivers, along with 10 million acres of fishable lakes and reservoirs.
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Wetland Restoration Work
Rare wetlands, such as the Grasshopper Fen, create unique ecosystems and take thousands of years to develop. In 2019, SJNF workers helped rehabilitate this damaged high elevation Fen.
Water in the News
- Sept 21, 2019: Animas River Suffered 80% Die-off after 416 Fire Ash Flows
- May 10, 2019: Is Durango doing enough to conserve its water?
Water Facts
- USFS Water Facts: Water is one of the most important natural resources flowing from forests. National Forests and Grasslands are the largest source of fresh water in the U.S. under a single manager, with about 20 percent originating from 193 million acres of land.