Water Supply and Demand Study 1/13/11

Section 1
Introduction
1.1 Overview of Animas -La Plata Project
The development of A -LP Project has been the result of a partnership among entities in Colorado and
New Mexico and three Indian tribes. The A -LP Project is located in southwestern Colorado and
northwestern New Mexico. The A -LP Project was authorized for investigation by the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation (Reclamation) in the 1956 Colorado River Storage Project Act and authorized for
construction in the 1968 Colorado River Basin Project Act as a three reservoir, 48 -mile canal project to
deliver water from the Animas Basin to the La Plata Basin for irrigation purposes. However, for a variety
of reasons, construction never proceeded.
In 1986 the Agreement in Principle Concerning the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement and
Binding Agreement for Animas -La Plata Cost Sharing (1986 Agreement) was executed and included
construction of the A -LP Project as part of the federal reserved water rights settlement for the Southern
Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes. The 1986 Agreement was entered into by United States, the State of
Colorado, the Lite Mountain Ute Tribe, the Southern Lite Tribe, Colorado Water Resources and Power
Development Authority (CWAPA), the Animas -La Plata Water Conservancy District, the New Mexico
Interstate Stream Commission, the San Juan Water Commission, and Montezuma County, Colorado.
Implementation of the 1986 Settlement Agreement by the United States began when Congress passed
the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 1988. However, there remained a number of
concerns with the A -LP Project and negotiations continued. In 2000 the U.S. Congress amended the
1988 Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act. The 2000 Amendments describe the non - Tribal
municipal and industrial water capital repayment obligations for the A -LP Project. A Non - Tribal A -LP
Project water allocation could be obtained by a non - Tribal Project Sponsor upon payment in full of their
proportionate share of capital costs prior to initiation of construction. In such case, the re- paying Project
Sponsor would not be subject to interest accruing on the project during construction. For those non -
Tribal parties who did not purchase water prior to initiation of construction, interest on their share of A -LP
Project capital costs would continue to accrue during construction.
The A -LP Project created Lake Nighthorse which has a total storage capacity of 120,000 AF and is
located on Basin Creek near Durango, Colorado. The Congressionally authorized water allocations for
the A -LP Project beneficiaries, referred to as the Project Sponsors, are listed in Tables 1 -1 and 1 -2.
Annual depletions are for M &I purposes only and may not exceed 57,100 AF annually.
Table 1-1.
.do
Supply (AF/YR)
Project
Depletion (AF/YR)
Southern Ute Indian Tribe
33,050
16,525
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
33,050
16,525
Animas -La Plata Water
Conservancy District/
CWR &PDA
5,200
2,600
State of Colorado
10,460
5,230
Totall
81,760
40,880
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