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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2000 Environmentalists, taxpayer groups assail project, which includes reservoir near Durango ByJohnc' Enulin Nru.;SiOtfWrit!'Y The Animas-La Plata reservoir, first approved by Congress when Lyndon Johnson was president, won final passage Friday when Congress OK'd $334 million to build it. The fund in${ - tucked within a $450 billion appropriations bill- enables the federal government to comply with a treaty signed with the Colorado Ute Indians when Andrew Johnson was presiclent more than a century ago. "At long last, Congress righted an enduring wrong by passing this Indian water rights settlement," said U.S. Rep. Scott Mclnnis, R- Coin., whose district includes the proposed reservior southeast of Durango. Environmentalistsandlaxpayer DENVER ROCK'( MOUN1AIN NEWS groups, howev- er, condemned the project as wasteful and damaging. They were angry the issue was wrapped into an omnibus bi11 that included funds for additional school teachers and protecting Alaska sea liolls. "We think something as contro- versial as this should have had a 'light of day' discussion rather than attaching it toa bill that pre- eludes discussion," said Steven Glazer, chairman of the water resources committee for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Sierra Club. "We certainly do support the fact there has been an Indian wa- ter rights agreement," said Jill Lancclot, co-founder of Thxpayers for Common Sense. "But that can be totally satisfied without spend- ing that kind of money on a project that is totally unnecessary." The project fulfills a treaty first signed in 1868. his less than half the size of the original. reservoir INSIDE . COloradO hospitals, health program gainj5A proposed in 1968. The bill would divert 57,100 acre feet annually from the Ani- mas River and store it in the Ridges Basin Reservoir. The orig- ina] project called for diverting 150,000 acre-feet per year. See PROJECT on 51A .....-o--~_ Smaller project key to its success MCINNIS from SA shelf since 1968. Those who've followed the pro- jectclosely credited compromise by two American Indian tribes, a change of position by the Clinton administration, an enormous down- sizing of the project's scope and per- sistenee by Campbell and Mcinnis in finally getting Animas-La Plata approved. "As far as I'm conceme<!, this is nothing short ofa mirncle," said Ray Kogovsek, a lobbyist for the project and fonnerCo]oradooon~ssman. "I'm sure the envIronmental movement will never agree with it. And I'm sure there'll be a court case overthisthingyct," he said. "In the meantime, we are very happy." The most direct reason for its pas- sage was legislative maneuvering, said Lori Potter, an attorney repre- senting several environmental groups opposed to the project. McInnis put the project in a broad bundle of bills, a\ioidingaseparatevote,shesaid. "I think it passed because it was made part ofa package on the very end of a very drawn-out congres- siona] session when nobody is going to fight over any issues," she said. "There was no substantive debate onAnimas-LaP]ata." According to the House of Rep- resentatives Web site, McInnis abstaincdfromthevoteontheover. a]1 appropriations bill. He could not be reached late Friday to comment on his abstention. The single most important reason for Animas-La Plata's success, sup- porters said,was the projed'sdown- sizing in recent years. It went from $700 million plus down to about $300 million. It went from a project that was to divert 150,000 acre-feet - enough water to quench the annual needs of more than 150,000 households-to one diverting about 57,000 acre-feet. "It's not your father's Animas-La Plata," said Scott McElroy, a Boulder attorney who negotiated on behalf of Indian tribes. "It's a much different project than was originally envi- sioned." Mcinnis credited the tribes with coming to the negotiating table a.'lain and again armed with a willingness to wmpromise that left government officials with no more room to oppose the project. "The tribes went way beyond the . .SA , < Interior Secretary Babbitt, a Democrat, was receptive to state GO P leaders' proposal ment to discuss its conversion to a national park. They hiked to the top of a sand dune along with Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. At the top, McInnis offeredapeptalk. "I said, 'Hey guys, this is a good time to talk about Animas-La Plata. ... Let's take another shot,'" Mcinnis said. His colleagues were receptive, McInnis said. So was Babbitt, a Democrat who often parts ways with. the Republican members of Colorado's congressional delega- ton. That resolve appears to have been an important factor that led to Congress' passage Friday of the water project that had been on the By Todd Hartman NewsSlaffWriler To hear U.S. Rep. Scott Mcinnis tell it, new life for the long-stalled Animas-La Plata water project started a year ago dwing a stroll atop a southern Colorado sand dune. That's when a who's who of Col- orado politics - including Mcinnis, Attorney General Ken Sala?.ar, and U.S. Scns. Ben Nighthorse Camp- bell and Wayne Allard - met at the Great Sand Dunes National Monu- SO-yard line in compromising on this thing,"McInnissaid. McInnis a]so credited Campbel] for his longstanding support. And he praised Babbitt, saying it appeared he wanted to see the project approved before President Clinton left office. See MCINNIS on 51A Reservoir work could begin in spring PROJECT from SA An acre.foot is the amount of water it takes to f\ood an acre 1 foot deep. Nearl}:' two-thirds of the water WIll go the the Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute and Navajo tribes. Work cou]d begin as early as this spring, said Fred Kroeger, president of the Southwestern Water Conservancy Board. "This is areal step forward for tbis region," said Kroeger, a retired hardware store owner who has served on the water board since 1956. There were moments, as recent as last year, when it seemed the project would never happen, Kroeger said. The breakthroufh came when the amount 0 irrigate<! water the project would yield was scaled back. That conces- sion won an endorsement ofthe project by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and the Clinton Administration. At]east two of the three tribes are in favor of theprojecl. The overall appropriations bill passed 292-60. Democrats Diana DeGette and Mark Udall voted for the bill. Udall said the bill contains several positive provisions for Colorado, among them, addi- tional funding for the Bureau of Standards in Boulder. Although he had some wn- cerns with the environmental impact of the water project, Udall said he was also con- cernedwith respecting the trib- aI water rights accorded in the treaty. Republican Rep. Tom Tancre- do voted against the bilL Fellow GOP Reps. Joe] Hefley, Bob Schaffer and McJnnis were list- ed among the 80 representa- tives who did not vote. 9'. .,. Cont.dlolll EnsllllatlJOJI 892- 5291or..."""f@R~ N__.