Crystal Reservoir Conveyance Act
The Crystal Reservoir Conveyance Act would require the Secretary of Agriculture to transfer, by quitclaim deed, the federal land surrounding Crystal Reservoir in Ouray County, Colorado, to the City of Ouray. This includes the Crystal Reservoir site itself, Full Moon Dam and related facilities, Full Moon Ditch, Reservoir Number 10, and approximately 45 acres of land underlying and around the reservoir. The transfer would also include the associated water rights described in a 1942 Colorado decree. The City would hold these lands and water rights and must manage them under conditions designed to preserve open space, public recreational access, and ongoing operation and maintenance of the reservoir and related infrastructure, while complying with Colorado water law. The transfer would be at no cost to the City (with some exceptions for surveys), but the Secretary could require certain protections and a reversion if the terms are not followed. In short, the bill would convert federal ownership of a key local reservoir site into municipal ownership, with specific obligations on public access, ongoing maintenance, water rights management, and limits on development, while ensuring some pre-existing rights and access (e.g., Red Mountain Ditch) continue to be honored.
Key Points
- 1The Secretary must convey to the City of Ouray all right, title, and interest in the Federal land surrounding Crystal Reservoir and the associated water rights, by quitclaim deed, after enactment.
- 2The City would receive and manage water rights tied to the land (including Full Moon Ditch and Reservoir Number 10 rights as decreed by Colorado) in accordance with Colorado water law; the City determines how to use storage and releases under those rights.
- 3The conveyance comes with conditions: (a) grants to the Secretary easements for trails and roads that cross or connect to the Federal land; (b) the City must be responsible for repairs, operations, and maintenance costs of Full Moon Dam and related infrastructure; (c) the land must be maintained as open space with full public access for recreation (including fishing) and no fees for such access; (d) no significant development or expansion that would flood upstream wetlands, except for deepening Crystal Reservoir allowed if consistent with the City’s water rights.
- 4A reversion clause provides that if the land is not used in accordance with the Act’s terms (as determined by the Secretary), the land can revert to the United States.
- 5The transfer includes a formal map and legal description of the land, with minor corrections possible by mutual agreement; the map will be public in Forest Service offices.
- 6The Red Mountain Ditch would remain usable by the City for decreed purposes after conveyance.