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Red Mesa Aquifer Groundwater Study — 2002 Interim Report <br /> The Red Mesa Aquifer Groundwater Study was completed by Wright Water Engineers, Inc. <br /> (WWE) for the La Plata Water Conservancy District (LPWCD). This Interim Report provides <br /> WWE's findings, which will be updated as additional work is completed. The study is part of a <br /> broader study that will evaluate the feasibility of construction of two water reservoirs within the <br /> basin. These include the Enlargement of Red Mesa Ward Reservoir and a new reservoir in Long <br /> Hollow. The study was funded through a grant by the Colorado Water Conservation Board <br /> (CWCB) and performed in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, Southwestern Water <br /> Conservation District, Colorado Division of Water Resources, and the Animas-La Plata Water <br /> Conservancy District (A-LP). <br /> 1.0 INTRODUCTION <br /> 1.1 Study Area Description <br /> The study area is located in Southwest La Plata County, approximately 10 miles southwest of <br /> Durango, Colorado (see Figure 1). The towns of Durango, Cortez and Farmington are all within <br /> 30 miles. <br /> The study area is located within the La Plata River Basin. The La Plata River originates high in <br /> the La Plata Mountains, a domed or laccolithic mountain range. Fed largely by winter snow pack <br /> in the La Plata Mountains, the river leaves its canyon just north of Hesperus and runs through the <br /> ponderosa pine zone down to near Breen. The vegetation south of Breen is predominately <br /> pinion juniper and sage on the mesa and riparian communities of cottonwoods and willows along <br /> watercourses. <br /> The Red Mesa consists of approximately 28 square miles of land that slopes uniformly at <br /> approximately 2 percent from Breen to the Town of Red Mesa. The Red Mesa is situated <br /> between the La Plata River and Long Hollow, a tributary to the mainstem of the La Plata River. <br /> These two rivers define the study area's east and west extents. The southern extent of the study <br /> area is the confluence of the Long Hollow and the La Plata River, which is located <br /> approximately 4 river miles from the New Mexico state line. The northern terminus lies <br /> 991-077/031 Wright Water Engineers, Inc. Page 1 <br /> Interim Report <br />