WSP08691

• File Number: 8220.106
• Description: Animas-La Plata
• State: CO
• Basin: San Juan/Dolores
• Water Division: 7
• Date: 3/1/1975
• Author: USDOI-BOR
• Title: Animas-La Plata Project - March 1975
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

their lands and builds facilities to put the right to beneficial use,
there will be essentially no water left for the community of Mancos.
The entire financial economy of the area could be lost.

Although the effect would be less dramatic than at Mancos, the
existing water rights providing water for at least 100;000 acres of
land end 30,000 of the people located in the Colorado portion of the
San Juan Basin would be directly affected by a No.1 Indian Priority
right. Through a call on the Colorado River at Lee Ferry, all Colo-
rado River water rights in Colorado, including those for diversions
through the Continental Divide to the Eastern slope of Colorado,
would be indirectly affected. The cumulative economic effect could
be tremendous.

The Animas-La Plata Project and the accompanying Dolores Project
would develop the following amounts of water for use by the Ute Tribes.

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Full Municipal &
Irrigation Industrial
~p~- _Wate..E...- Total
--
Acres ~~.! (Acre-fe!l_~l (Acre-feet)
Dolores Project
Ute Mountain Tribe 7,500 22,900 1,000 23,900
Animas-La Plata Project
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe 12,000 21,500 21,500
Southern Ute Tribe . 3 , 850 _8,O~fl. .5Y , OOQ 63,000
Total Indian Development
f'loth l~ibe's 23,350 52,400 56,000 108,400

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The Tribes have each indicated they are much more interested in
receiving "wet" weter from the projects than they would be in receiv-
ing a "handful of paper water rights" with no facilities to put the
rights to use. They have further indicated they would be willing to
enter into agreements whereby they would forego use of their potential
water rights in lieu of receiving water from the Animas-La Plata and

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