YourVoice.Now Summary
Your MoneyEnvironmentTransparency & AccountabilityA Colorado lake and dam would pass to the City of Ouray — public fishing stays free.
Your Money
Ouray would have to let the public on the land to fish, at no charge. It could close the site only for safety, repairs, or emergencies.
Today the Forest Service maintains Full Moon Dam and the reservoir. From the day of the transfer, Ouray would pay for all repairs, upkeep, and safety rules the dam must meet.
Environment
Ouray would have to hold the land as open space with no end date. Building and business use would be barred, except work needed to run or fix the dam.
The city could not widen the reservoir at normal water levels if that would flood or damage wetlands above it. It could still make the reservoir deeper.
Water rights tied to the site, some from a 1942 state court ruling, would pass to Ouray. The city could then use that water for any legal purpose.
A ditch built around 1945 crosses forest land to feed the reservoir. Ouray would get a lasting right to use it, but may need a permit for bigger repairs.
About 45 acres around Crystal Reservoir, plus the lake, dam, and ditch, would leave federal ownership for good. The government would keep access rights over the roads and trails already there.
Transparency & Accountability
If Ouray stops meeting the terms, the Forest Service must send a written notice. The land can return to federal hands after 90 days if the problem goes on.
More about this bill
If you do not live near Ouray, Colorado, you would see no change in daily life. The Forest Service would hand Crystal Reservoir and Full Moon Dam to the City of Ouray. About 45 acres of forest land would go with them. The city would also get the water rights, some dating to a 1942 Colorado court ruling. Washington would pay the transfer costs. Ouray would pay for the land surveys. From the day of the transfer, the city would also cover every repair and safety check on the dam. The land would come with strings. Ouray would have to keep it open to the public forever for fishing and other recreation. It could not charge a fee to get in. It could close the site only for safety, repairs, or emergencies. The city could not build on the land or run a business there. It also could not widen the reservoir in a way that harms the wetlands upstream. If Ouray breaks these terms, the land would go back to federal hands after a 90-day warning. The House passed the measure on June 2, 2026. It now sits with a Senate committee.
Congressional Summary
Crystal Reservoir Conveyance ActThis bill directs the Forest Service to convey specified property and water rights in Ouray County, Colorado, to the City of Ouray, Colorado, for use as open space for recreational activities (such as fishing) at no cost to the public.The property and water rights include the site known as Crystal Reservoir and the associated lake and infrastructure, Full Moon Dam and the associated facilities, and the approximately 45-acre parcel of land underlying and surrounding Crystal Reservoir.The conveyance must (1) convey fee simple title to the land; (2) be subject to existing valid rights and easements; and (3) be completed at no cost to the city, except for costs related to necessary surveys.The conveyance must also be subject to a reversionary interest whereby if the land is used in a manner that violates the conveyance, the land shall revert to the United States, subject to the discretion of the Forest Service. In addition to holding the land open to the public for recreational purposes, the city must assume responsibly for Full Moon Dam and must not conduct unneeded development or commercial operations, nor alter Crystal Reservoir in a manner that would harm wetlands located upstream, subject to certain conditions. After the completion of this conveyance, the Forest Service must recognize a perpetual easement for the site known as Red Mountain Ditch for use by the city for specified activities related to Crystal Reservoir.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Reported to House
- Action Date
- 2026-05-20
- Date Added
- 2026-05-30
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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