{"id":21689,"date":"2025-06-24T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/forest-service-budget-cuts-nearly-shuttered-toilets-in-san-juan-mountains\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:08:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:08:25","slug":"forest-service-budget-cuts-nearly-shuttered-toilets-in-san-juan-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/forest-service-budget-cuts-nearly-shuttered-toilets-in-san-juan-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"Forest Service budget cuts nearly shuttered toilets in San Juan Mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Toilets
Toilets at the southern terminus of the Colorado Trail near Durango will remain open this summer. Twenty public restroom locations, including these, would have been forced to close this summer in the San Juan National Forest had it not been for donors and lodgers tax funds. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A federal budget shortfall nearly forced the U.S. Forest Service to close public toilets in the San Juan National Forest, but local groups stepped in to keep them open through summer.<\/p>\n

In total, lodgers tax funds from the city of Durango and San Juan County, along with donations from the San Juan Mountains Association and Purgatory Resort, raised $54,000 for the Columbine Rangers District.<\/p>\n

\u201cCollectively, we realized that we had to do our best to find a solution,\u201d said Stephanie Weber, executive director of the San Juan Mountains Association. \u201cIf we weren\u2019t able to come up with funding, the vault toilets would have remained closed for the summer season.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to a joint news release from Visit Durango and SJMA, the funds will support the operation and maintenance of 20 public toilets at trailheads and free camping areas within the Columbine District, including areas along U.S. Highway 550, La Plata Canyon, and Lemon and Vallecito reservoirs.<\/p>\n

\"Local
Local groups donated $54,000 to the San Juan National Forest Columbine Rangers District to ensure toilets remain available to outdoor visitors this summer. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The funds will pay for a licensed and bonded contractor to pump waste from the toilet vaults. Columbine Ranger District staff will handle toilet paper restocking and general upkeep.<\/p>\n

Weber said delays in upkeep are likely this summer due to staffing cuts in the district.<\/p>\n

The Forest Service is facing nationwide budget delays, and although Congress recently passed a continuing resolution, it takes time for agencies to receive their allocations, Weber said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt left the Columbine District, in particular, in a state where they just didn\u2019t have the funding to do their normal business of taking care of vault toilets,\u201d Weber said.<\/p>\n

Compounding the issue, Weber said, was a mass layoff of Forest Service staff by the Department of Government Efficiency, which further strained ranger districts across the country.<\/p>\n

Multiple attempts to reach the U.S. Forest Service\u2019s regional spokesperson this week were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

The repercussions, Weber said, could severely harm the environment.<\/p>\n

Each year, SJMA\u2019s seasonal staff remove tons of trash and human waste from the forest.<\/p>\n

\"The
The San Juan Mountain Association said the volume of human waste and toilet paper littering the forests would be \u201coff-the-charts\u201d and \u201creally, really nasty\u201d this summer with the closure of public toilets. (Courtesy of San Juan National Forest)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cIf people have to go to the bathroom, they\u2019re going to go to the bathroom,\u201d Weber said.<\/p>\n

Without public toilets, she said the volume of human waste and toilet paper littering the forests would be \u201coff-the-charts,\u201d and \u201creally, really nasty.\u201d<\/p>\n

The increase in excrement and trash would not only reduce visitor enjoyment but also threaten ecological health and contaminate water sources, she said.<\/p>\n

And Weber noted that while the funds will keep toilets open this summer, they do not offer a long-term solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we continue to watch decision-makers in Washington, D.C., talk about cutting the budget, the expectation is we will be dealing with management issues and infrastructure issues for a while,\u201d Weber said. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about solutions, but there\u2019s no guarantees.\u201d<\/p>\n

jbowman@durangoherald.com<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n

\"Toilets
Toilets at the Colorado Trail's southern terminus near Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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