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I , I Congress passes A-LP Page 2 of 4 pipelines to carry the water to Ridges Basin southwest of Durango, a dam in the basin to create a reservoir that would store the water, and pipelines to take water from the Animas in New Mexico. The project would allocate reservoir water to the Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute and Navajo tribes. Non-Indian agricultural irrigators would receive nothing. The La Plata River, which would have received Animas water in the original A-LP - hence its inclusion in the project's name - would be left alone. Where the original A-LP project would have cost more than $700 million, the new project is in the $275 million range. Estimates range from $250 million to $340 million. Campbell was chief sponsor of the A-LP legislation in the Senate; Sens. Wayne Allard, R- Colo., Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., co-sponsored the measure. Campbell introduced his legislation in the Senate in May, and it passed the Senate in October, 85-5. McInnis then wanted to pass the measure quickly and with a minimum of controversy in the House, so he sought to attach the A-LP bill to must-pass spending legislation. McInnis, Campbell and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Domenici, another co-sponsor of the A-LP legislation, lobbied Appropriations Committee members to support including A-LP as a rider on spending legislation. They were successful, and A-LP was included as part of the year-end omnibus spending bill that A-LP passed the House and Senate on Friday. The A-LP measure served to authorize the project. Funds must be appropriated each year to build it. "That will be the legislative battleground" for A-LP now, said Christine Arbogast, a lobbyist with Denver-based Kogovsek and Associates, which has lobbied on behalf of the project. The Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Indian tribes would each annually receive 16,525 acre-feet of water. The Navajo Nation would receive 2,340 acre-feet. The San Juan Water Commission in New Mexico would receive 10,400 acre-feet. The Animas-La Plata Water Conservancy District would receive 2,600 acre-feet. The state of Colorado would receive 5,230 acre-feet, and 780 acre-feet would go the La Plata Water Conservancy District in New Mexico. An acre-foot is enough for three to four families for a year. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Local players anticipate lawsuits By Shane Benjamin http://www.durangoherald.com/lnews3658.htm 3/6/2001