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Durango Herald Online <br />64.9° - SE, 3.0 mph <br />DurangoHerold.com <br />Page 1 of 2 <br />Thursday, November 01, 2007 <br />! La arry Gardner <br />, r.;si 375 -3 .05 <br />a <br />rho only webs to you need for Durango Real Estate and more! <br />Navigate Site <br />Agreement likely on recreation water ILI Email this article <br />Durango could have kayak park without hurting upstream users 10 Printable version <br />November 1, 2007 A A <br />By Dale Rodebaugh I Herald Staff Writer <br />Fifty individuals and organizations - state and local - are on the brink of an agreement that will give the city of <br />Durango the amount of Animas River water it wants for a kayak park while at the same time assuring upstream <br />users of enough water for other purposes. <br />"I can't give more details now because there are three cases that have to be settled as part of a package," Barry " <br />Spear, the attorney for the Southwestern Water Conservation District, said Wednesday after a closed session of his real mountains. <br />board. "But we're all scheduled to appear before (6th Judicial District) Judge Gregory Lyman a week from today." teal colorado. <br />Jack Rogers, the director of public works in Durango and its interim city manager, agreed with Spear's assessment <br />of Durango's request for a recreational in- channel diversion, or RICD. <br />"We'll have an executive session Tuesday to consider the RICD settlement," Rogers said. "We plan to take action at <br />that time." an, <br />If all parties agree, three proposed decrees will be presented to Lyman for his consideration in an effort to end a IN <br />dispute that goes back about three years. <br />All three cases were filed as objections to the application by the city of Durango for as much as 1,400 cubic feet of <br />water per second for a kayak park at Smelter Rapid on the Animas at Santa Rita Park. <br />La Plata County and the Southwestern Water Conservation District each filed separate lawsuits to protect future <br />development upstream from being harmed by development of the kayak park. <br />Durango is following the lead of other communities throughout <br />the state that acquired the right to a certain amount of water for <br />recreation. Traditional water users say Johnny -come- lately <br />recreation interests want to hog water; recreation interests say <br />whitewater sports are now more of an economic force than <br />agriculture and other uses. <br />The application by Durango for a recreational in- channel <br />diversion triggered protests by 50 state and local entities and <br />individuals. The pending agreement about Durango's RICD <br />would avert a two -week trial scheduled to start Jan. 7. <br />Southwestern Water Conservation District board members <br />Wednesday told him to finalize the agreement, Spear said. <br />Members of the Colorado Water Conservation Board gave their <br />staff the same order, Spear said. The settlement package will be <br />presented to Durango city councilors and La Plata County <br />commissioners next week. <br />"The remaining opponents have been contacted to see if there <br />are any objections," Spear said. "We are working to address any concerns." <br />Click here to send an email to the author <br />http : / /www.durangoherald.com/asp -bin /article_generation. asp ?article_type =news &article_... l l /l /2007 <br />News Keyword Search go <br />