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. :r'- ,.',., projects a demand for 600 megawatts of additional capacity by the year 1987 and and 1,000 megawatts of capacity by 1992. Most of these needs,are centered in Southwestern Colorado. It is, therefore, reasonable to assume:'that at least part or possibly all of the Ute Tribes' coal may be used for elect~ic power generation. The 32,500 acre-feet of water would support a total installed generating ca- pacity of about 2,000 megawatts. Assuming five units being built one after another, it would take a total construction period of about 14 years beginning at the time when water first becomes available. Estimated peak employment during construction is estimated at 1,100 persons. When all units are completed, a total operating force of about 600 people is anticipated. The most probable plant site would be on the Colorado side of Southern ute Reservoir about 30 miles from Durango and 15 miles from Farmington. It is probable that as construction of the project tapers off, construction of the coal facilities would begin, thus forming a long transition between project construction status and the time the project becomes purely operational. Before construction of any coal, facilities begins, a site-specific Environ- mental Impact Statement will be required. Municipal and Industrial Water Uses . 1/ Durango Serv~ce Area- First let me say I don't feel the Animas-La Plata Project should be built, based on the Durango Service area's needs alone. The service area certainly has alte~native methods of developing all the water it will ever need. If the project is otherwise going to be built, the service area has the opportunity of getting a guaranteed supply at a lesser cost than the cheapest alternate. Under the Animas-La Plata project plan municipalities will have first prior- ity to the available project supply. If there is a shortage, irrigation interests share that shortage. If Durango builds its own storage facilities, it would not be practical to guard against all shortages. For details regarding Durango's water supply refer to pages 5 and 9 of the attached set of questions and answers and the supplement on Durango's.water supply. Of particular importance is the chart on page 7 that shows that with the pro- ject, Durango would have a total water supply (sum of project and non-project water) of 18,530 acre-feet annually. This compares with 13,800 acre-feet, as computed by the Bureau of Reclamation. The Bureau assumed that non-project Animas River water would be limited to raw water irrigation. The plan of operation proposed by the Durango Water Commission would be as follows: 1. Use the Florida River gravity system for base supply. Treat this water at the existing plant. 2. Obtain additional supply as needed from the project. Treatment would be at the new plant near Ridges Basin. Only the water needed would be pumped and treated. 3. Develop non-project raw water pumps along the Animas River to irrigate public lawns and parks to the greatest extent possible. 4. Keep Animas Pump and Force Main ~ystem functional and operate often enough to keep its water right valid. When demands for water become sufficiently great that this system is again needed, put it back into operation to meet peak needs. The Bureau of Reclamation design is based on an annual yield of 13,800 acre- !I Includes areas now served be South Durango Water District, Northeast Water Dis- trict and Animas Water Company, together with anticipated expansions south to the Animas Airport, west to Durango West, north along Highway 550 to the La Plata County line and east along Florida Road to the Animas-Florida Divide. -4-