Southwest - La Plata West Rural Domestic Water Supply_Statewide Application

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6. What alternative sources of water or alternative management ideas have you considered? Are there water rights conflicts involving the source of water for the proiect? If SOli please explain. The ALP is a secure water source. No alternatives were required or considered. According to the Statewide Water Supply Initiative, storage projects, including the ALP, are an important means to meet future water needs in the region. The report notes that "getting sufficient infrastructure and water distribution will be a l(ey challenge". An intal(e structure in Lal(e Nighthorse would be a significant step in developing infrastructure. 7. How has public input been solicited and is there local support for the proiect? Have the beneficiaries solicited fundingll letters or other documentation to demonstrate support? The project has been endorsed by a wide range of entities. A rural domestic water supply system for Southwest La Plata County has been a recognized need for decades. The Upper La Plata Water Users Association (San Juan County, New Mexico) currently pumps water up from Farmington to meet their demands. Receiving a gravity-fed supply from Lal(e Nighthorse is a preferable source for the Association. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Southern Ute Indian Tribe have expressed interest in an intal(e structure to access their allocated water resources from Lal(e Nighthorse. Local entities that are providing support and advice to the project include the ALPWCD, LPWCD, La Plata County and the Bureau of Reclamation. 8. Is there opposition to the proiect? If there is oppositionll how have those concerns been addressed? To date, no opposition to the project has been expressed. Concerns about the development of southwestern La Plata County are addressed under the area's Land Use Code, as discussed below (#11). 9. How does the proiect affect the protection and conservation of the natural environmentll including the protection of open space? The project will import water into the water-short La Plata River basin and will generate return flows that may supplement the base flows in the La Plata River and improve the riparian corridor. This is a reach that the CWCB has cited as desirable for an instream flow right. The project will help to reduce demands on groundwater that is currently used to supply domestic wells in the basin. 10. What is the impact of the proposed action on other non-decreed values of the stream or river? Non-decreed values may include things such as non-decreed water rights or usesll recreational uses and soil/land conservation practices. La Plata West Water Authority La Plata West Rural DOlnestic Water Supply Systeln 2/26/2008 Page 4