La Jara Reservoir
The reservoir in 2023
La Jara Reservoir is located in Colorado
La Jara Reservoir
La Jara Reservoir
The reservoir's location in Colorado
LocationConejos County, Colorado
Coordinates37°14′2.87″N 106°21′11.88″W / 37.2341306°N 106.3533000°W / 37.2341306; -106.3533000
Typereservoir
Primary inflowsJim Creek, Torsido Creek, La Jara Creek
Primary outflowsLa Jara Creek
Basin countriesUnited States
Managing agencyColorado Parks and Wildlife
Built1906
Surface area1,241 acres (502 ha)
Water volume14,055 acre-feet (17,337,000 cubic meters)
Surface elevation9,705 feet (2,958 m)
FrozenFreezes in winter
References[1][2]

La Jara Reservoir is a reservoir in Conejos County, Colorado. Located 24 miles (39 kilometers) west of the town of La Jara, Colorado, the reservoir lies high in the San Juan Mountains.[1] The rocky dirt road to the reservoir is difficult, and the reservoir lies about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the nearest paved road. The fishing is poor, but the area surrounding the reservoir is popular with deer, elk, and waterfowl hunters.[3]

Dams

Water in the reservoir is impounded by two dams, with a natural hill separating the two. The dams, called La Jara Dam no. 1 and La Jara Dam no. 2, have NID IDs CO00814 and CO02873 and are earthen dams. They were built in 1906. The reservoir can store up to 14,055 acre-feet (17,337,000 cubic meters) of water. Dam no. 1 is 48 feet (15 meters) high and 510 feet (160 meters) wide. Dam no. 2 is 24 feet (7.3 meters) high and 730 feet (220 meters) wide.[2][4]

Land tenure

The two dams and the reservoir are managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.[2] The reservoir and the land surrounding it are state trust land owned by the State of Colorado.[5] Portions of the reservoir and the land surrounding it make up the La Jara Reservoir State Wildlife Area, managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.[6]

The Colorado State Land Board, the agency that manages Colorado State Trust lands, is considering transferring the 45,650-acre (18,470-hectare) tract of land that makes up the La Jara State Trust Land to the Rio Grande National Forest, which is adjacent to the property. The tract includes the reservoir.[7]

An appraisal completed in October 2023 by Chandler Consulting of Grand Junction, Colorado set the value of the tract at $43.5 million. The final sum will be paid by the federal government agencies acquiring the land (Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management) to the Colorado State Land Board. The price works out to about $1,000 per acre ($2,500/ha).[8]

References

  1. 1 2 "La Jara Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. December 31, 1981. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "La Jara - Dam No. 1". National Inventory of Dams. United States Army. December 22, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  3. ↑ "La Jara Reservoir SWA". Colorado Parks and Wildlife. State of Colorado. n.d. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  4. ↑ "La Jara - Dam No. 2". National Inventory of Dams. United States Army. December 22, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  5. ↑ Colorado Parks and Wildlife (September 21, 2023). "La Jara STL hunting and fishing access program" (PDF). State of Colorado. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  6. ↑ "La Jara Reservoir State Wildlife Area" (PDF). Colorado Parks and Wildlife. State of Colorado. n.d. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  7. ↑ Lopez, C. (June 28, 2023). "Public land at La Jara Reservoir gets summer appraisal to move sale ahead". Alamosa Citizen. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  8. ↑ "La Jara Reservoir transfer price: $43.5 million". Alamosa Citizen. December 16, 2023. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.


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