Animas-La Plata Project Water Supply Demand Study

ANIMAS - LA PLATA WATER SUPPLY AND DEMAND STUDY
1. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE
1.1 Background on Animas - La Plata Project
The Animas -La Plata Project (A -LP) is located in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico see
Figure 1 Appendix A. The A -LP Project was authorized for further investigation in the 1956 Colorado River
Storage Project Act of 1956 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. 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 tribes. The 1986 Agreement was entered into by United States, the State of
Colorado, the Ute Mountain Tribe, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the Colorado Water Resources and Power
Development Authority, the Animas -La Plata Water Conservancy District, the New Mexico Interstate Stream
Commission, the San Juan Water Commission, and Montezuma County, Colorado, and modified the A -LP
Project from an irrigation project of 191,200 AF /YR of depletion to a solely municipal and industrial (M&I)
water supply project of 57,100 AF /YR of depletion.
The A -LP Project created Lake Nighthorse which has a total storage capacity of 120,000 AF /YR located near
Durango, Colorado. Participants' allocations are listed in Tables 1 -1 and 1 -2. Average annual depletions are
for M&I purposes only and may not exceed 57,100 AF.
Colorado
Allocations of A-LP
Supply (AFIYR)
Project Water
Depletion (AFIYR)
Souftrn Ute Indian Tribe
33,050
16,525
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
33,050
16,525
Animas -La Plata Water
Conservancy District
5,200
2,600
State of Colorado
10,460
5,230
Toter
81,760
40,880
Table 1-2. New
Mexico Allocations of A-LP Project Water
Supply (AFIYR) Depletion (AFIYR)
Navajo Nation
4,680
2,340
San Juan Water
Conunission
20,800
10,400
La Plata Water
Conservancy District
1,560
780
Totalr
27,040
13,520
I Balance of 2,700 AF /YR is evaporation.
P 1Data1GEMCWCBN38372 - Animas -La Plata Demand Study \Deliverables\Reports\Final'ALP Cost Demand Study Final Report.docx