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acquisition fund. In addition, other federal and state regulatory and environmental requirements would <br /> have to be met in implementation of future actions(e.g., compliance with the ESA,Clean Water Act, <br /> Colorado and New Mexico water laws). <br /> The ALP Project <br /> Reclamation proposes to develop a modified ALP Project in southwestern Colorado and northwestern <br /> New Mexico for the purpose of implementing the Settlement Act. Since the ALP Project is intended to <br /> provide stored water in lieu of the assertion of senior Tribal water rights claims,a majority of the <br /> project's water supply is not targeted for specific near-term uses. Rather,the waters would be used in the <br /> region over an indefinite period of time. The Colorado Ute Tribal M&I water uses are currently not <br /> specified but were projected. Non-binding projected water uses,both on and off the Colorado Ute Tribal <br /> reservations,were evaluated in order to provide possible uses and their associated impacts. Projections <br /> were made of a range of potential future M&I uses for project water as a basis for developing alternatives <br /> which would effectively provide water to meet these allocations. The scenarios for future water use were <br /> based on reasonable estimates of regional growth and projected needs by the Colorado Ute Tribes, <br /> Navajo Nation,the ALPWCD, and the SJWC. <br /> The specific percentage allocation between the Colorado Ute Tribes and other project beneficiaries may <br /> not be fixed. Comments received during scoping, and support for recently introduced legislation(i.e., <br /> HR 3112 and S 2508)indicate that the Colorado Ute Tribes may agree to a reallocation of 6,010 acre-feet <br /> per year(afy)to the State of Colorado and entities in New Mexico. This reallocation of some of the <br /> Colorado Utes water does not change the environmental evaluation presented in the SEIS. Further,the <br /> ALP Project would be operated to include conservation measures contained in the 2000 Biological <br /> Opinion issued by the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service(Service)(Service 2000a)in compliance with the <br /> Endangered Species Act(ESA). Among other measures,this opinion limits average water depletions by <br /> the project from the San Juan River Basin to 57,100 acre-feet per year(afy). <br /> Under the ALP Project,the Colorado Ute Tribes would receive 79,050 afy(this represents 39,960 afy of <br /> depletions from the San Juan River system). The future uses to which water may be put by the Colorado <br /> Ute Tribes will be the subject of future NEPA review at the time the uses are determined and structural <br /> components are designed to convey water to those uses. A projection of future water uses by the <br /> Colorado Ute Tribes included the following types: <br /> • Municipal <br /> • Industrial park <br /> • Recreation and tourism development <br /> • Energy development <br /> • Livestock and wildlife water use <br /> • Regional municipal water supply <br /> • Instream leasing of water <br /> Table ES-1 displays the allocation of water among the Colorado Ute Tribes and other project <br /> participants. Under these allocations,the Colorado Ute Tribes would still be approximately 13,000 afy <br /> short of the total quantity of depletion recognized in the Settlement Agreement. The Administration <br /> Proposal,therefore,also includes a non-structural element that would establish and use a water <br /> acquisition fund,which the Colorado Ute Tribes could use over time to acquire water rights on a willing <br /> buyer/seller basis. The water acquisition fund was developed to acquire 13,000 afy of depletion in <br /> addition to the depletions shown in Table ES-1,or for other uses that they may choose. <br /> ES-3 <br />