Experts Outline Strategies to Sustain River Tourism Through Drought Conditions

McPhee Reservoir's below-average spring outlook landed at the center of a regional water seminar last Friday, where outfitters, river managers and water policy experts laid out what low-flow conditions will mean for Dolores County's recreation economy this season.

The panel convened March 27 at Sky Ute Casino Resort in Ignacio as part of the Southwestern Water Conservation District's "One Watershed — Many Voices" seminar. Participants included recreation business owners, conservation groups and Bureau of Reclamation operators, all wrestling with the same question: how do you keep visitors on the river when there may not be enough water to float them safely?

Reduced spring and summer flows on the Dolores River threaten the safe boating windows that guide businesses in Rico and canyon communities west of Dove Creek depend on each year. Shrinking river levels also degrade fishery habitat and suppress the overnight visitation that sustains small operators through summer.

The panel's first concrete recommendation was calendar flexibility. Outfitters and campgrounds were urged to shift emphasis toward shoulder-season work, including hiking, mountain biking and fall hunting seasons, staggering their offerings around predicted releases from McPhee rather than assuming peak-summer flows. Panelists called customer communication a non-negotiable part of that shift.

A second strategy centered on diversifying beyond water. Businesses willing to add interpretive hikes, guided archaeology tours or wildlife viewing can reduce their dependence on summer river conditions and protect revenue when flows disappoint.

The third and arguably most actionable recommendation was coordinated flow forecasting. Local water managers, Bureau of Reclamation staff overseeing McPhee operations, outfitters and tourism bureaus were urged to establish regular communication channels so paddlers and anglers can access reliable information about when conditions will support safe recreation. One panelist framed the broader challenge as "finding ways to keep visitors coming even when the water isn't what it used to be," describing a mix of near-term operational adjustments and longer-term shifts in how river businesses model their revenues.

That challenge sits atop a difficult hydrologic baseline. This year's Southwest snowpack and runoff outlook are notably low across multiple basins, and Lake Powell and Lake Mead remain well below historical norms. Regional managers are already weighing competing priorities: municipal deliveries, hydropower generation and fishery releases, all drawing from reservoirs that haven't recovered from successive dry years.

Panelists also called for habitat-focused advocacy, arguing that managed pulse flows and fish-habitat improvements aren't just ecological concerns but economic ones. A degraded river loses its draw for anglers and paddlers regardless of how adaptable any single business becomes.

For Dolores County specifically, the panel pointed toward a coordination structure involving the Dolores Water Conservancy District, Bureau of Reclamation McPhee operators and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe to generate early flow forecasts and collaboratively market alternative recreation. Short-term grants and workforce planning were also raised as tools for helping seasonal businesses absorb lean months, alongside investments in trail maintenance and camping infrastructure that strengthen the county's non-water recreation profile.

The 2026 window to act on those recommendations is already narrow.