Animas-La PLata Project Environmental Impact Statement

Table ES -2
List of ALP Project Alternatives
Number
Title
1
Administration Proposal
2
Administration Proposal with Recreation Element Added
3
Administration Proposal with San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program
( SJRBRIP) Element Added
4
Administration Proposal with SJRBRIP and Recreation Element Added
5
Animas -La Plata Reconciliation Plan
6
Animas River Citizen's Coalition Conceptual Alternative
7
1996 Final Supplement to the Final Environmental Statement Recommended Action
8
Administration Proposal with an Alternative Water Supply for Non - Colorado Ute Indian
Entities
9
Citizens' Progressive Alliance Alternative
10
No Action Alternative
Non - structural components include acquiring existing water sources. As part of this analysis, this FSEIS
inventories the available land and associated water rights in the McElmo Creek and Mancos, La Plata,
Animas, Florida, and Pine River Basin drainages in the vicinity of the two Colorado Ute Tribal
reservations. Land values, seniority of water rights, parcel sizes, and other factors were evaluated to
develop a reasonable picture of the potential acquisition of land and direct flow water rights. Working
with the basic assumptions that water and land would be purchased from willing sellers, and that project
modifications and reoperation would be able to receive the approval of all participating parties to
proceed, representative areas were identified in order to develop an analysis of the range of likely non-
structural component options that might be implemented by one or more of the water users in the future.
Finally, as part of the non - structural analysis, the potential for securing water supplies from existing
Reclamation -owned storage facilities in the region was evaluated.
The 10 alternatives, and their structural and non - structural components, were then evaluated to determine
the relative practicality of each alternative in terms of
■ Potential environmental impacts
• Meeting the ALP Project purpose and need
■ Technical and economic factors
Considering all three sets of these factors (i.e., environmental, purpose and need, and technical and
economic merits) for each of the 10 alternatives, Alternatives 4 and 6 (modified to provide for water to
non- Colorado Ute Tribal entities) were identified as warranting refinement. Each alternative had unique
strengths in various areas, and together they represented significantly different approaches to meeting the
purpose and need of the project. Alternative 4 is principally a structural alternative and Alternative 6 is
principally a non - structural alternative. Alternatives 4 and 6 were both determined to have merit. As
such, Alternatives 4 and 6 were then refined to more closely meet project requirements, and the structural
and non - structural components of both refined alternatives were then evaluated. The environmental
impacts and proposed mitigation for Refined Alternatives 4 and 6 are discussed in this FSEIS. A more
detailed discussion of the alternatives evaluation process is contained in Sections 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5 of the
FSEIS. A further discussion of the evaluation of impacts from Refined Alternatives 4 and 6 is included
in Chapter 3, and in Section 5.2 of this FSEIS.
ES -6