C150307 Final Supplimental Impact Statement

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l CHAPTER 1 `. INTRODUCTION,PURPOSE OF,AND NEED FOR THE PROJECT Citizen's Coalition Conceptual Alternative, focused on providing the Colorado Ute Tribes with funds to ,t' se water from existing projects,and/or the acquisition of existing direct flow water rights,as well purchase as the use and/or modification of existing federal facilities. a No result, was reached on any of the alternatives developed during the Romer Proposal to process. As a ressult,on August 11, 1998,the Secretary of Interior presented an Administration the Settlement Act. The proposal calls for a down-sized dam and and other project Basin to supply ply municipal and industrial (M&I)Z water to the Colorado Ute ji the Animas-La Plata Water Conservancy District(ALPWCD),and the San Juan the N avaJ o Nation, ro The proposal also contains a non-structural element as part of the Water Commission(SJWC)). P P ttlem P d ent im lementation. Further,under the Administrative Proposal,Alternatives the(ALP Project was size to96 m match the depletions permitted in the Reasonable and Prudent Biological Opinion for the ALP Project. This opinion limited the average at the Biological to l final 0 acre- OP 57,100 acre-feet/year(afy). See Chapter 4, Section 4.2.1.2 for further Opinion. these proposals represent a significant modification of the ALP Project evaluated previously, ' Because th p P 1999,Reclamation announced its intent to additional environmental analysis is required. On January 4, The DSEIS a Draft SEIS (DSEIS)to the 1996 FSFES(Federal al water rights may besett ed. The DSEIS was prepare analyzed various ways in which the Colorado Ute Tn released for public review and comment on January 14, 2000 following p ublication in the Federal Notice of Availability. Following release of the DSEIS,public hearings were held on Register of the N New Mexico,and Denver,Colorado, February 15, 16,and 17,2000 in Durango,Colorado;Farmington,000. Volumes 3a and 3b of this FSEIS respectively. The public comment period closed on April include copies of all comments received during the public comment period and Reclamation's responses comments. A Record of Decision will be prepared following release of the FSEIS. to those 's 1.2 PROJECT HISTORY authorized by the Colorado River Basin Project Act of 1968 ew e located in ALP The ALP Project was a in northwestern ' Plata County in southwestern Colorado and in San Juan County supplies to the Colorado Ute Tribes and other Project was designed to provide irrigation and M&I water supp (Settlement project beneficiaries. A Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Final Setttlaement Agreement December 10, 1986, � . P J Agreement)(see Attachment A located in Volume 2 of this FSEIS) quantified the Colorado Ute Tribes' water rights. The water rights allow the Colorado Ute Tribes , y which q obtain water from several rivers and projects,including water supplied from the ALP Project. In 1988, to obt ess incorporated the ALP Project into the Settlement Act in order to settle Colorado Ute Tribal Co n gr water rights claims. 1868 treaty entered into between the United States and the Colorado Ute Tribes,the As a result acquired an 18 �' encompassing much of southwestern Colorado. That reservation provides the Tribes acquired a large reservation encomp g Colorado Ute Tribes with significant reserved water rights on rivers and streams throughout the region. The Colorado Ute Tribes' water rights are senior to most non-Colorado Ute Indian water i ect,M&I refers to water for industries and cities,as well as for livestock and wildlife uses, = '-For purposes of this P ro J recreation,and tourism development. 4 1 1-2 1.2 PROJECT HISTORY