ALP 14

STATE OF COLORADO
Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
w,ww,cwcb.state.co.us
January 12, 2010
Mr. Mark Lanford, President
La Plata West Water Authority
P.O. Box 631
Durango, Colorado 81302
Re: Animas La Plata Project Water
Dear Mr. Lanford:
Bill Ritter, Jr
Governor
James Martin
DNR Executive Director
Jennifer L. Gimbel
CWCB Director
Dan McAuliffe
CWCB Deputy Director
Thank you for your interest in acquiring a portion of the State's project water allocation
in the Animas La Plata Project. Your lead role in developing a long term, viable water delivery
system from Ridge Basin Reservoir to the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes, and other
future users, is an important component to the overall success of the project.
The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) is currently performing a study to
determine the marketability of the State's project water allocation of 10,460 acre -feet. The
CWCB understands the importance of acquiring and preserving water resources in the State and
in southwestern Colorado in particular and that any portion of the project water allocation to the
State that is not purchased will revert to the two Tribes. Therefore, the CWCB is diligently
exploring all options to try to preserve the State's project water allocation for current and future
water needs in southwestern Colorado. Given the economic trends of the State and the large
capital investment that is needed by the State to preserve the water, however, I hope you can
understand the difficult task at hand.
Brown and Caldwell, Golden, Colorado, are the consultants that are performing the La
Plata Project Water Supply and Demand Study on our behalf. Leo Eisel, the project manager
for Brown and Caldwell, has called or will be calling you and other water users in the area to
discuss specific details regarding the purchase of the State's project water allocation. It is
important for us to determine the existing level of need and commitment from the surrounding
water users to buy any or all of the State's project water allocation, prior to the State entering
into an agreement to purchase the water from the Bureau of Reclamation. Currently, it has been
estimated that the State's cost to purchase the water is $3,315 per acre foot, plus an additional
$36 per acre foot for operation, maintenance and replacement costs.
Water Supply Protection • Watershed Protection & Flood Mitigation • Stream & Lake Protection • Water Supply Planning & Finance
Water Conservation & Drought Planning • Intrastate Water Management & Development