20 ‎(8)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 7/22/2009
• Description: WSP Section - Animas La Plata
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO
Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Deneer, Colorado 30203
Phone: [phone]
F1x:[phone]
ww~u.cwcb.state.co.us
MEMORANDUM si11 xitter, Jr.
Cio~ ernor
TO: Colorado Water Conservation Board Meinbers
Harris D. Sherman
DNR Executiee Director
Jeimifer L. Gimbel
CWCB Director
FROM: Randy Seaholm, Chief Water Supply Protection
Dan Mc_auliffe
CWCB Deput}~ Director
DATE: July 14, 2009
SUBJECT: Agenda Item 20, July 21-22, 2009 Board Meeting
Water Supply Protection - Animas-La Plata Project Update
Animas-La Plata Project Background
The Aniinas-La Plata Project (ALP), located near Durango, Colorado, is a key
coinponent of the 1988 Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settleinent Act (Settleinent) as
ainended in 2000. The project will help satisfy the federal reserved water right claiins of the two
Colorado Ute tribes, whose water rights would otherwise date back to 1868. Absent the
Settlement, the two tribe's water rights could claim much of the water in southwest Colorado and
totally disrupt the state water right systein in Water Division 7.
The ALP will pump water from the Animas River to the off channel Ridges Basin
Reservoir. Froin Ridges Basin, water can be returned to the Aniinas River or delivered west to
the La Plata River Basin. The ALP is expected to be totally completed in 2012. Ridges Basin
Dain was coinpleted on Noveinber 9, 2007, and the reservoir began filling on April 20, 2009, and
it is expected to be full in the spring of 2011. Ridges Basin Reservoir will have a storage
capacity of approxiinately 120,000 acre-feet (AF') and will supply about 111,500 AF' of water
with an anticipated depletion of 57,100 AF' annually at full developinent. The ALP will provide
water for M&I purposes only, to the Tribes and water users in southwest Colorado and northwest
New Mexica The seven ALP beneficiaries and their project water allocations are as follows:
• Southern Ute Tribe - 33,050 AF' of water; 16,525 AF' annual depletion;
• Ute Mountain Ute Tribe - 33,050 AF' of water; 16,525 AF' annual depletion;
• Aniinas-La Plata Water Conservancy District - 5,200 AF' of water with 2,600 of annual
depletion. This water was contracted for upfront by the Colorado Water Resources and
Power Developinent Authority for the benefit of the District and the City of Durango;
• Colorado - 10,460 AF' of water with 5,230 AF' of annual depletion;
• Navajo Nation (NM) - 4,680 AF' of water and 2,340 AF' of annual depletion;
• San Juan Water Coininission (NM) - 20,800 AF' of water and 10,400 AF' of annual
depletion; and the
• La Plata WCD (NM) - 1,560 AF' of water with 780 AF' of annual depletion.
Water Supply Protection • RTatershed Protection & Flood lbtitigation • Stream & Lake Protection • Water Supplp Planning & Finance
Water Conservation & Drought Planning • Intrastate Water Management & Development