BOARD00151 ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 3/12/2007
• Description: WSP Section - Animas-La Plata Project Updates - Intergovernmental Agreement Establishing the ALP Operations and Maintenance Association and Proposed Concept Paper
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

v

Maynes, Bradford, Shipps & Sheftel, LLP
Attorneys at Law

.

THoMAS H. SHIPPS
JANICll C. SHllFTl!L
PATRICIAA. HALL'
SAM W. MAYNllS
JOHN BAlU.OW SPl!A1\
STEVEN C. Boos.'

AsSOCIATES:

EUSABETH J. TAFTO
KRlSTINAN. JOHN:
KATHElUNE A. Bup.KE
ADAM T. REEVES
CHARLES C. SPENCE;

BYRON V. BRADFORD 1 1907 -1985)
FRANK E. ISAM) MAYNES (1933-2004)

tALso ADMITTED IN ARIZONA AND NAVAJO NATION
. ALso ADMITTED IN CALIFORNIA, NBW MEXICO AND UTAH
o ALso ADMITTED IN WASHINGTON
:tALso ADMITTED IN NEW MEXICO AND NAVAJO NATION
tALso ADMITTED IN IDAHO, UTAH AND WYOMING

19701247-1755
[phone] - FACSIMILE
[e-mail]

February 13, 2007

Govern r Bill Ritter
136 State apitol
Denver C 80203-1792

via facsimile
[phone]
and regular mail

Re: Animas-La Plata Water Project

. Dear Governor Ritter:

The Southwestern Water Conservation District ("SWCD") and the Animas-La Plata Water
Conservancy District ("ALPWCD") endorse your platform for water issues set forth in your
"Colorado Promise." In the "Colorado Promise," you state:

As we look to the future, we also must acknowledge that many of our best water-
project sites have been developed. We must be strategic and selective as we
consider future storage projects. We cannot sacrifice one part of the State
without sacrificing the entire State.

The Boards of Directors for the SWCD and the ALPWCD have requested that this firm, which
serves as general counsel for both Districts, provide you this letter in regard to the State's
purchase of its allocated share of water from the Animas-La Plata Water Project ("ALP Project")
in Southwestern Colorado.

.

One of the tenets of the "Colorado Promise" is water storage. Colorado has an opportunity to
ensure a water supply for use in the State through the ALP Project, currently 46 percent
complete. Under the Colorado Ute Indian Settlement Act Amendments of 2000, PL. 106-554
("Act"), the State of Colorado was allocated 10,460 acre feet of storage in Nighthorse Reservoir,
which would yield an average annual depletion of 5,230 acre feet of water for domestic and
municipal use.

WEST BUILDING - 835 EAST SECOND AVENUE, SUlTB 123
POST OFFICB Box 2717
DURANGO, COLORADO 81302-2717
[phone] II [phone] - facsimile