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City of Durango: Animas Basin Residential Buildout and Water Demand Study Firul Report 2008 <br />SAN JUAN COUNTY BUILDOUT <br />METHODS AND DATA <br />Unincorporated San Juan County is a unique case when considering residential <br />buildout. Most of the County is federal land, some of which is among the <br />highest elevation BLM land in the Country, and the rest of which is forest service <br />land, including a corner of the Weminuche Wilderness. Silverton is the only <br />incorporated town and houses most of the 576 primary residents. The mining history <br />in the area and the roads it left behind created some of the most vehicle - <br />accessible high country in the U.S.. Future development in this area will occur on <br />patented mining claims, which are parcels of private property like any other. <br />Unpatented claims are administered by BLM and are for mining only and do not <br />convey a private property right for residential development purposes. <br />San Juan County contains a myriad of above <br />timberline peaks, several <br />major <br />drainages comprising the <br />canyons and gulches of <br />the Animas headwaters. <br />This is <br />an extremely rugged area and is considered to <br />be the avalanche capital <br />of the <br />world, drawing in snow <br />scientists, avalanche forecasters, and students for decades. <br />The sheer steepness <br />of the terrain and the <br />access limitations will <br />temper <br />development of patented <br />mining claims. <br />One additional important element is that San Juan County government is a small - <br />town, mountain county government, and has never had resources necessary to <br />assemble the expensive GIS databases that most larger counties now maintain and <br />distribute. <br />Given these factors, the methodology for estimating residential buildout for the <br />unincorporated county involves the following methods and use of data: <br />Inventory Patented Mining Claims: <br />Dispersed Claims <br />County Designated Development Areas <br />Coarse -Scale 'Constraints Analysis: <br />Steep Slopes <br />Road Access <br />Town of Silverton• was excluded because it has or is likely to procure the water <br />rights . it needs for future development in its boundary and future annexation areas. <br />Rrt 970.382.9153 10 <br />