The AWP is a collaborative group committed to cooperating across political boundaries to protect and improve the quality of water resources to benefit the Animas River and communities, now and in the future. The AWP works with partners to reduce sources of nutrients, fecal pathogens, sediment and other contaminants to the Animas.

Because our goal is to collect and share water quality data with the people that depend on and affect the Animas River, we wish to correct information in the story regarding water quality near the Colorado and New Mexico border.

To clarify the information, there is no data tracing nutrients or fecal pathogens in the river to “human sewage” or “a high number of failing septic systems” in Colorado. Although failing septic systems can be one of several sources of nutrient and pathogen contamination, this has not been documented by any study of the Animas near the state line.

However, there are preliminary results from a microbial source tracking study that indicate that levels of fecal pathogens are exceeding New Mexico water quality standards and that one of the predominant sources is human. The AWP partners with San Juan Watershed Group on this effort to sample fecal bacteria in the Animas River from Aztec to the confluence with the San Juan River and to identify the types of animals from which these bacteria originate. Preliminary results after the first of two years of intensive sampling found bacteria from human and other sources in the river at Aztec and at two sites downstream.

We look forward to working with all partners to share the final results of this study and to identify actions that our communities can take to keep the river safe and clean for all of us to enjoy!

Ann Oliver, Animas Watershed Partnership coordinator

Durango