Montrose County wants to "be in the game" for old UMETCO water rights on the San Miguel River. Commissioners said they were concerned that if the rights are converted solely to instream flow, already limited water supplies on the county's West End could be further reduced. As part of a 1987 consent decree, UMETCO Mineral Company's rights on the San Miguel River Ditch were deeded to the Colorado Water Conservation Board, while its rights on the Johnson Ditch were put into trust, said Bruce Whitehead, executive director of the Southwest Water Conservation District. The water conservation district, which serves parts of Montrose, is awaiting the completion of a commissioned study before making recommendations to the state conservation board concerning the old UMETCO rights.

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