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, Intr"duction The Animas- La Plata Project would be located in the Upper Colorado River Basin in La Plata and Montezuma Counties of southwestern Colorado and San Juan County of northwestern New Mexico. The project was authorized by Congress as a participating project in the Colorado River Storage Project. Project Objectives The project would be a multiple-purpose water resource development. Municipal and industrial water would be furnished to Durango and the rural La Plata area in Colorado and to Farmington, Aztec, Bloomfield and several smaller communities as well as the Navajo Tribe in New Mexico. The Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribes would receive water primarily fpr the development of coal reso~rces on their reservations. The project would provide irrigation water for farmland in the La Plata and Mancoa River drainages, and opportunities would be made for recreation at project reservoirs. A program for developing land for wildlife would compensate for wildlife losses at both reservoirs. A construction program of ten years is anticipated. Proposed Plan Located southwest of Dqrango, RIDGES BASIN RESERVOIR, one of two offstream project reservoirs, would store water pumped from the Animas River by the DURANGO PUMPING fLANT. Reservoir releases would be made as necessary back to the Animas for New Mexican municipal and industrial users downstream and to the DURANGO MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL PIPELINE, which would connect with the city's water system. A portion of the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe's project water and irrigation water for Colorado farmers wOulq be stored in Ridges Basin Reservoir and be conveyed through the DRY SIDE CANAL and LONG HOLLOW TUNNEL. Water would be pumped to the Dry Side Canal from the RIDGES BASIN PUMPING PLANT, located on tlje western edge of the reservoir. The canal would carry water westward to project land in the La Plata River drainage and to the end of the canal for the Vte Mountain Ute Indian Tribe's industrial development. Water from the La Plata River would be diverted into the Dry Side Canal during the spring run-off. SOUTijERN UTE RESERVQIR, located offstream on the Colorado-New M~xico State line east of the La Plata River, would store water for the southern Ute Tribe for resource development and for New Mexico irrigators. The reservoir would store ~a Plata River flows diverted by the SOUTHERN UTE DIVERSION DAM AND CANAL.