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►urango Herald Online rg"lufaint 11U.1 girls ralX9181 M.1 ecember 13, 2005 Dale Rodebaugh I Herald Staff Writer Page 1 of response to Durango's possible water - rights application to protect recreation, San Juan County and the town of Silverton will file their own claim; the end of December to protect development. In other action In another matter, Southwestern Water Conservation District board members decided not to mmediately seek a role in a awsuit by two ranching families. The ranchers are asking that coal -bed methane producers be required to the get the same well permits as agricultural or sand /gravel operations. The county and town would file through the Southwestern Water Conservation District. In a telephone conference Monday, district board members authorized their legal and engineering experts to help with the applications. The application for the town would be filed in its name. The county application would be held by the conservation district. "We're going to file for a water right to protect our potential for development," Willie Tookey, administrator for San Juan County, said Monday. "It would be a minimal amount, but we're concerned because we're upstream from Durango." Until now, the county and town have had few water worries, taking water from creeks in the Animas River drainage. But recent controversy statewide about water rights specifically for recreation has them concerned. Jim and Terry Fitzgerald and Bill and Beth Vance, who ranch _' - Old -time water consumers fear that a Recreational In- Channel Diversion would interfere with traditional -ast of Durango, say that water uses such as irrigation or providing water for homes and businesses. On the other hand, the recreation extracted during gas drilling _ industry points to its growing importance as an economic generator. A water right puts the holder in line 3ould dry wells or contaminate ahead of others who want water later. ground water. The couples are suing state engineer Harold San Juan County is taking no chances, although it's not filing for recreational water, Tookey said. Simpson and Ken Beegles, Nho retired Nov. 30 as the state Division of Water Durango has said it intends to ask the Colorado Water Conservation Board for recreational water. Resources engineer for Division 7 in Durango. Beverly Kaiser, the planner whose services Silverton and San Juan County share, said the town owns rights to about 9 cubic feet a second of water from four creeks. But a surge in development could put the city in a bind, she said, noting that about 25 percent of incorporated land is buildable and that annexation ould increase the pressure. Ve need to be able to serve our residents at build- out," Kaiser said. arry Spear, an attorney with the Maynes Bradford Shipps & Sheftel law firm that represents the Southwestern Water Conservation District, said e district holds similar rights on the San Juan River in the name of others. Holding a water right for another is largely a procedural move, one hich would not give the water district control over how the water is used. he law firm stands ready to aid La Plata County if county commissioners decide to file an RICD application, Spear said. urango, which touched off a flurry of discussions in recent weeks by announcing that it wants water for a kayak course on the Animas River, won'' e an application this year, city Director of Public Works Jack Rogers said Monday. He didn't attend the conservation district meeting. Ve have a study going on what a kayak course would look like and where it would go," Rogers said. "We haven't decided how much water would needed to support the course, but we're trying to find a way that a kayak course wouldn't affect upstream water users." ogers has told city councilors he doesn't have enough information to file an RICD application this year. melter Rapid on the Animas at Santa Rita Park in Durango is a world -class kayak course. ttp: / /www. durangoherald. com/asp- bin /printable_article_generation. asp ?article _path= /news /05 /newsO5 l2l ... 12/13/200