page_title: Rio Blanco (Colorado)
section_title: Restoration project
hierarchical_section_title: Rio Blanco (Colorado) / Restoration project
caption_attribution_description: English: Rio Blanco at Blanco Diversion Dam, Archuleta County, Colorado
context_page_description: Rio Blanco is a stream that is tributary of the San Juan River in southern Colorado, United States. The stream originates in the San Juan Mountains and flows for 30 miles through the San Juan National Forest and private lands to its confluence with the San Juan River in Archuleta County, Colorado. Colorado classifies the Rio Blanco as an Aquatic Life Coldwater Class 1/Recreation Class 1 waterway supporting water supply and agricultural uses. The river also features native cutthroat trout and introduced rainbow trout fishing.
context_section_description: The San Juan–Chama Diversion Project, which was started in 1971, diverted water from the river at the Blanco Diversion Dam and eventually led to reduced water flow and a loss of aquatic habitat in the Rio Blanco. In 1998, Colorado included a 12-mile reach of the lower Rio Blanco on its list of impaired waters for failure to support its aquatic life due to sediment. A grass roots project organized by the residents aided by numerous local statewide and federal agencies to restore the stream channel to match the altered flow regime, resulted in the river's physical and biological function and water quality being improved. In 2008, Colorado removed the Rio Blanco, including the 12-miles of the lower reach, from the state's list of impaired waters.
caption: The river at the Blanco Diversion Dam, in late summer with low flow
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