What Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District does

Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District (UYWCD) is a special-district government entity organized in March 1966 under the Colorado Water Conservancy Act, serving Routt County and a portion of Moffatt County in northwestern Colorado. The District owns and operates two reservoirs — Stagecoach (36,439 acre-feet total capacity, 819 surface acres, 145-foot dam) and Yamcolo (9,621 acre-feet total capacity, 175 surface acres, 109-foot dam) — along with the 62.5 cfs Stillwater Ditch and the 800 kW John R. Fetcher Hydroelectric Power Plant at the base of Stagecoach Dam. Stagecoach Dam was notable as only the 10th Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) dam built in North America at the time, completed in 37 days around the clock in 1988, and was raised by 4 feet in 2011.

The District sells stored water on multi-year contracts (1 to 40 year terms) across four use tiers — agricultural ($35.49-$39.43/AF), environmental/recreational ($56.32/AF), municipal ($101.39-$112.66/AF), and industrial ($155.72-$173.02/AF) — plus a $300 application fee and umbrella augmentation plans covering out-of-priority uses along the Yampa and Elk Rivers. Its named municipal customers include the City of Steamboat Springs, City of Craig, Town of Hayden, Town of Oak Creek, and Town of Yampa; agricultural deliveries flow through the Stillwater Ditch to irrigators and the Yamcolo Irrigators Association. Hydroelectric output is purchased by Yampa Valley Electric Association, powering approximately 100 homes annually. In 2012, UYWCD executed Colorado's first-ever short-term lease to the CWCB Instream Flow Program and in 2021 negotiated a 10-year flexible environmental release agreement renewable twice for up to 30 years.

Distribution and engagement channels include direct contract sales, a watershed data platform (Yampa River Dashboard, launched January 2025 in collaboration with LRE Water, Colorado Water Trust, and multiple basin stakeholders), the Bear River Wildfire Ready Action Plan covering 52 square miles, water-quality monitoring integrated with USGS, EPA CyanWeb, and CDPHE, a Community Grant Fund ($500,000+ awarded in 2025, $200,000 in the 2026 budget), the John Fetcher UYWCD Scholarship, and the annual Yampa Youth Water Festival. The District is governed by a 9-member board (three representatives per division) appointed by the District Judge, led by General Manager Andy Rossi and District Engineer Emily Lowell, and operates under a published 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.

Name

Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District

Legal name

Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District

Website

https://upperyampawater.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District is a Colorado special-district government entity, founded 1966, that owns Stagecoach and Yamcolo Reservoirs plus an 800 kW hydroelectric plant, selling stored water contracts to municipal, agricultural, industrial, and environmental users across the Yampa River Basin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Resources Management

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Treated Water Storage & Pressure Management (Reservoirs, Tanks, Booster Stations) (EUANAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Raw Water Conveyance & Transmission (Aqueducts, Mains, Pumping Stations) (EUANAAAB)

Keywords

• Water resource management
• Reservoir water storage
• Water supply contracts
• Watershed conservation
• Hydroelectric power generation

Headquarters

HQ city

Steamboat Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Water Storage Contracts: Revenue from selling stored water contracts at Stagecoach and Yamcolo Reservoirs for agricultural, municipal, industrial, and environmental uses. Pricing varies by use type and contract duration (1-5 years, 6-10 years, 11-40 years).
2. Augmentation Plan Contracts: Revenue from umbrella augmentation plans covering areas along Yampa River and Elk River for out-of-priority water uses including well ponds, lawn irrigation, vegetable gardens, and livestock watering.
3. Water Application Fees: $300 application fee due upon submission for stored water contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District manages water storage and supply across the Yampa River Basin through two multi-purpose reservoirs (Stagecoach Reservoir with 36,439 acre-feet capacity and Yamcolo Reservoir with 9,621 acre-feet capacity), delivering water via contracts to agricultural, municipal, industrial, and environmental users. The District also operates an 800 kW hydroelectric power plant, augmentation plans for over-appropriated stream reaches, water quality monitoring, and community grant programs.

Product overview

Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District is a water management organization operating as a portfolio of interconnected water infrastructure assets and community programs. Core infrastructure includes Stagecoach Reservoir (36,439 AF capacity with 800kW hydroelectric plant), Yamcolo Reservoir (9,621 AF capacity), Stillwater Ditch (62.5 cfs capacity), and the John R. Fetcher Hydroelectric Power Plant. The District offers water contracting services (agricultural, municipal, industrial, environmental) and augmentation plans for the Yampa and Elk Rivers. The Yampa River Dashboard serves as a data platform aggregating watershed health, management, agriculture, and recreation information. Community programs include grant funding (Community Grant Fund, Diversion Infrastructure Improvement), the John Fetcher Scholarship ($5,000 awards), and Yampa Youth Water Festival. Environmental services include water quality monitoring and environmental releases for instream flow support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stagecoach Reservoir Water Contracts Stored water supply contracts at Stagecoach Reservoir for agricultural, municipal, industrial, and environmental uses, with pricing varying by use type and contract duration (1-5 years, 6-10 years, 11-40 years). Application fee of $300 per contract.
• Yampa River Augmentation Plan

Quantifiable outcome

• Environmental releases can supply more than half of Yampa River's flow through Steamboat Springs during critical periods
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Yampa-White-Green Basin RoundtablecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2025Collaborated on development of Yampa River Dashboard, a comprehensive data hub for watershed health, management, agriculture, land, and recreation information in the Yampa River Basin.
• City of Steamboat SpringscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2025Partnered in development of Yampa River Dashboard and collaborated on environmental releases from Stagecoach Reservoir to boost Yampa River flows.
• Friends of the YampacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2025Collaborated on Yampa River Dashboard development, providing valuable feedback on product design for the data hub.
• Colorado Water TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2025Long-term partnership since 2012 for instream flow leases. In 2021, established new 10-year flexible agreement allowing instream flow leases in up to half of those years with option to renew twice for up to 15 out of 30 years.
• LRE WatersupportingTechnology or Integration · 20 January 2025Partnered on Yampa River Dashboard development, providing technical expertise for the data collection and visualization platform.
• Colorado River Water Conservation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2025Collaborated on Yampa River Dashboard development. Historically provided water rights for Yamcolo Reservoir project.
• Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered for instream flow program; 2012 partnership executed first-ever short-term lease of water to Colorado's Instream Flow Program. 2021 agreement creates long-term framework for environmental releases.
• Yampa Valley Electric Association (YVEA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPurchases all power generated at John R. Fetcher Hydroelectric Power Plant for storage on their power grid to service local communities.
• Colorado State Forest ServicesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Bear River Wildfire Ready Action Plan; Bear River Watershed received highest priority classification for Watershed Protection in CSFS 2020 Forest Action Plan.
• Bear River Reservoir CompanysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwns Stillwater Reservoir; Both Stillwater and Yamcolo Reservoirs deliver water storage to water users in Routt County within UYWCD operational boundary.
• Colorado Parks and WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages recreation at Stagecoach Reservoir; Conducts weekly field tests at swim beach and marina; UYWCD provides approximately $9,000 per year for fish stocking and annual subsidy for recreation facilities.
• United States Forest ServicesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages recreation at Yamcolo Reservoir located on Routt National Forest 12 miles southwest of Yampa.
• US Forest ServicesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Bear River Wildfire Ready Action Plan with multiple road crossing projects on USFS roads; Forest treatments around Stillwater Ditch for fire break.
• Routt County Water Quality Monitoring PartnerssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative monitoring program including Routt County, City of Steamboat Springs, Mount Werner Water, Morrison Creek Water and Sanitation District sampling water quality at six locations throughout the basin.
• Colorado Ute Electric CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided annual purchase commitment for water in 1977, providing catalyst for initiating Yamcolo Reservoir construction.
• Western Engineers of Grand JunctionsupportingTechnology or IntegrationSelected for project design of Yamcolo Reservoir in 1978.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Denver Water: The largest water utility in Colorado and a leading municipal water provider in the Western US. Operates on a much larger scale than UYWCD with multiple reservoirs, extensive treatment, and complex conveyance — a useful benchmark for growth trajectory, drought response playbooks, and infrastructure cost economics.

Direct peers

• Southwestern Water Conservation District: Colorado water conservancy district serving the San Juan/Dolores river basins with very similar statutory authority, customer mix (agricultural, municipal, industrial), and grant/community program structure. Provides a useful size and geographic peer for UYWCD's operational model.
• Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District: Operates as a Colorado Water Conservancy District under the same state statute that governs UYWCD, running Horsetooth Reservoir, Carter Lake, and other storage facilities serving municipal, agricultural, and industrial users. Highly comparable in mission, governance structure (appointed board), contract sales model, and Colorado water rights framework.
• Dolores Water Conservancy District: Operates McPhee Reservoir and related infrastructure in southwest Colorado under the same Colorado Water Conservancy Act. Direct peer in reservoir operations, irrigation delivery, augmentation planning, and conservancy district governance for a single Western Slope basin.
• Rio Grande Water Conservation District: Colorado conservancy district managing irrigation improvements, augmentation plans, and groundwater management in the Rio Grande Basin. Comparable as a small-to-mid-sized conservancy district with augmentation plan services, irrigation-focused customers, and similar Colorado Water Conservancy Act authority.
• Colorado River Water Conservation District: Long-standing Colorado conservancy district providing water storage, augmentation, and water rights administration on the Western Slope. Already an explicit partner and peer of UYWCD, sharing legal framework, operational scope (reservoirs, augmentation), and watershed management role — making it the closest comparable in the region.

Regional players

• Eagle River Water & Sanitation District: Colorado special district providing water and wastewater services in Eagle County, including augmentation plan and water service functions comparable to UYWCD. Operates in a different mountain basin (Vail Valley) but adjacent Western Slope region with similar high-elevation recreational economy customers.
• Tri-County Water Conservancy District: Colorado conservancy district operating on the Eastern Slope in the South Platte Basin, providing water storage and delivery via Halligan Reservoir. Comparable conservancy district operating model but geographically distinct from Yampa Basin operations.

Emerging players

• Washington County Water Conservancy District: Utah conservancy district operating the Sand Hollow Reservoir and Quail Creek system with a similar water storage + augmentation + hydropower mix for a high-growth regional market. Comparable in operating model and growth dynamic, though in a different state water rights framework.

Others

• Colorado River Water Conservation District (East Slope peer partner): Twin Lakes Reservoir and Canal Company: Mutual ditch/reservoir company operating Twin Lakes Reservoir and transmountain diversion serving agricultural and municipal users in Colorado's Arkansas River Basin. Comparable in infrastructure type (reservoir + irrigation conveyance) and small-staff operating model, though structured as a mutual company rather than conservancy district.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upper-yampa-water-conservancy-district

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District