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Montezuma Watershed |
NRCS Utah

 

 Cattle Grazing in Valley

Description of Watershed

The Montezuma Watershed is located in southeastern Utah with portions running into southwestern Colorado.  It is bounded on the northwest by the Abajo Mountains, on the north by a Mancos shale upland plateau, on the east by the Delores River, on the south by the San Juan River, and on the west by Recapture Creek.  The watershed covers approximately 1,146 square miles or 733,375 acres.  Monticello, Utah, is the major population center that plays host to both agricultural and recreation activities.

The watershed drains from north to south and joins the San Juan River, which is a tributary to the Colorado River.  The central, southern and western areas of the watershed are characterized by canyons with steep walls and deep alluvial soils that are easily eroded. Some livestock production occurs and a limited number of crops are grown in these canyons.

The north central and north eastern portion of the watershed allow agricultural production on rolling uplands that have a growing season of about 120 to 140 days.  There are about 137 farms on 217,758 acres of agricultural lands.  Primary crops include small grains, alfalfa, and dry beans.  The majority of the cropland is not irrigated.

Most of the private land is located in the northern half of the watershed.  National forest lands are located in the northwest at higher elevations—up to 11,360 feet. Most of the BLM and state-owned land are intermixed in the middle portion at lower elevations—as low as 4,419 feet.  Navajo Tribal land lies in the southernmost area of the watershed.

Land Cover/Use

Utah Land Use

Cropland:  179,500 Acres
Pasture:  17,400 Acres
Developed:  2,550 Acres
Water:  911 Acres
Rangeland:  153,600 Acres
Total Acres:  353,961

 Colorado Land Use

Cropland:  3,415 Acres
Pasture:  2,920 Acres
Developed:  95 Acres
Water:  90 Acres
Rangeland:   68,255 Acres
Total Acres:  74,775 Acres

 Combined Acres

Cropland:  182,915 Acres
Pasture:  20,320 Acres
Developed:  2,645 Acres
Water:  1,001 Acres
Rangeland:  221,855 
Total Combined Acres:  428,736

 Map of Montezuma Watershed

 Montezuma Watershed Map

For General and Application Information, visit the National CSP Webpage.

Counties in Watershed

  • San Juan County, Utah

  • Montezuma County, Colorado

  • Dolores County, Colorado

  • San Miguel County, Colorado

Local Information

The following documents include information about events, activities and program details related to this watershed.

These documents require Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat DocumentNews Release – Little Bear Watershed (126KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentProducer Letter (11KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentNews Release on state CSP watersheds (205KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentMontezuma Stewardship/Enhancement/New Practice Cost List
Adobe Acrobat DocumentMontezuma Self Assessment Workshop Announcement

Program Contacts - Utah

Local Contact: Don Andrews
Title: NRCS District Conservationist (Monticello)
Phone: 435-587-2481


State Contact: Tim Julander
Title: Resource Conservationist for Programs
Phone: 801-524-4561
 

Program Contact - Colorado

Local Contact: John Lestina
Title: NRCS District Conservationist (Dove Creek)
Phone: 970-677-2248
 

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