Special to the HT
RBC | Chair Kelly Sheridan called the Yellow Jacket Water Conservation Board to order on Dec. 11, 2025. Responsible for the eastern half of the White River watershed, the board met for the first time this year. At the center of discussion was the proposed Lake Avery expansion project, which is viewed as essential to the county’s long-term water security. The 2026 budget was approved which keeps the existing mill levy of 0.209 intact.
Yellow Jacket is exploring four enlargement options through a pending and currently unfunded feasibility study. The expansion would create modest additional storage capacity in the existing reservoir, now undergoing dam repairs. Expansion of this high elevation reservoir will allow water to be captured during high-flow periods and released when the river runs low.
Supporters argue that this enlargement is vital for augmentation, essential for future water needs in the community. The expanded capacity would help maintain stream and fish health during periods of extremely low flow, and increasingly unpredictable hydrologic conditions. The section of the White River immediately above the town of Meeker has experienced stream flows of 30cfs this past summer, making it the lowest in the White River basin.
Board member Bailey Franklin shared the current plan is to refill Lake Avery beginning this spring unless the Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District places a call on the river for its hydro-electric plant near Rangely.
The board is still discussing sources of funding for a necessary Feasibility Study. During the meeting, Rio Blanco County Commissioner Doug Overton asked whether the project’s feasibility study, once funded, could be expedited. Advancing the study more quickly could clarify costs, engineering challenges, and timelines helping address the need for augmentation.
Commissioner Overton offered that the county could act as a fiscal agent when funds for the Feasibility Study are appropriated.
With strong public interest and the stakes high for Rio Blanco County’s water future, a public comment suggested that more frequent board meetings and faster progress on the feasibility study are necessary to keep upstream solutions moving forward.
The meeting drew encouragement from the public, who emphasized the urgency of water planning upriver to benefit the entire county in a region increasingly affected by drought, earlier run off and lower river flows.