People living and working in Gem Village have a new option for where they get water.
Property owners in Gem Village, off U.S. Highway 160 between Durango and Bayfield, depend on wells and hauling water to meet their needs. Some of that water comes with high mineral content, like sulfur. The La Plata Archuleta Water District was approved to provide water service to the area during a La Plata County Board of County Commissioners meeting Tuesday.
“I’m happy to hear that this gives residents in the region an opportunity for water, because the water in that area is not the best,” said Commissioner Matt Salka, former Bayfield mayor.
The water district, established in 2008, encompasses about 400 square miles in southeastern La Plata County, excluding Bayfield and Ignacio. It provides potable public water and fire protection water in an area without viable wells or sufficient water quality.
In 2007, as the water district was being created, the town of Bayfield requested Gem Village be excluded from its service area, said Ed Tolen, the district’s general manager.
Natural gas prices were high at the time, and growth was expected in Gem Village. Bayfield wanted to serve the area so it could later annex it, Tolen said. When the gas prices plummeted, the expected growth stalled.
In fall 2020, the district asked the town if it could serve the area. The district already had a water main in the area, Tolen said. By December, Bayfield agreed, Tolen said.
County commissioners unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday with the final approval needed to offer services to Gem Village.
Commissioner Marsha Porter-Norton said the service change is a smart growth plan for the area, particularly as the county looks for workforce housing opportunities.
“With this particular part of our county being an area that is potentially ripe for economic development areas, this I think would enable that,” Porter-Norton said.
Tolen said there are about 100 property owners in the new service area, which stretches from the western edge of Gem Village to Bayfield and about half a mile south of Gem Village and about a mile north of it.
Property owners will not automatically receive district services. Rather, they must petition the district to get water services. If they join, they must pay an additional property tax, and they may have to pay to extend utility infrastructure to their property.
Ashleigh Tarkington, co-owner of the Billy Goat Saloon in Gem Village, is ready to make the change to La Plata Archuleta Water District’s services.
The saloon operates off well water that has high mineral content. It has never been able to have an ice machine at the bar without paying for a filtration system, Tarkington said.
The district’s water is treated by the town of Bayfield to meet all federal drinking water standards, Tolen said.
“When you’re in a severe water shortage or drought situation, we worry about having enough water,” said Tarkington, who is also Bayfield’s mayor. She recused herself from discussions involving the district’s service plans, she said.
“This is kind of a game changer for us,” Tarkington said. “We won’t have to worry about water.”
smullane@durangoherald.com
