Laserfiche WebLink
CHAPTER 2 <br /> DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVES <br /> 2.1.1.2.2 Industrial Park Water Use <br /> The Southern Ute Indian Reservation lies just south of the City of Durango. The City of Durango is <br /> growing and, as a result,the demand for industrial park space is increasing. The Southern Ute Indian <br /> Tribe owns land in proximity to Durango and may want to lease part of its reservation land for an <br /> industrial park. This would require that water be made available. <br /> 2.1.1.2.3 Recreation and Tourism Development Water Use <br /> Both Colorado Ute Tribal reservations are located in a scenic area that is a popular tourism destination. <br /> The proximity of the Southern Ute Indian Reservation to the City of Durango would allow the <br /> Reservation to take advantage of the established flow of tourists and help draw visitors to reservation <br /> facilities. One possibility would be to construct a resort hotel complex, including a golf course and <br /> casino. <br /> The Ute Mountain Ute Reservation,although farther from the Durango tourist area than the Southern Ute <br /> Indian Reservation,is adjacent to Mesa Verde National Park. This presents an opportunity to establish a <br /> Tribal visitor center,with a resort hotel and golf course,to cater to visitors who are drawn by the unique <br /> collection of ancient sites in the area. In addition,the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe recently purchased <br /> 20,000 acres of land in the La Plata River Basin,providing an opportunity to develop a dude ranch. <br /> 2.1.1.2.4 Energy Development Water Use <br /> Both Colorado Ute Tribal reservations lie in the San Juan Basin of southwestern Colorado and <br /> northwestern New Mexico. The San Juan Basin contains large coal,oil,and gas reserves and is the <br /> location of three operating coal mines and many oil and gas wells. The Southern Ute Indian Reservation <br /> is situated over approximately 16 billion tons of Fruitland Formation coal,about 500 million tons of <br /> which lie within 500 feet of the surface. The Ute Mountain Ute Reservation overlies Fruitland <br /> Formation coal deposits as well. Because of the associated economies of scale, approximately <br /> 14.4 million tons of coal offer potential for strip mining if combined with adjacent off-reservation <br /> deposits. <br /> The Colorado Ute Tribes'energy resources offer several opportunities for development. Tribal coal <br /> could be mined and shipped off the reservations to fuel power plants. Tribal coal and/or gas could be <br /> burned in on-reservation power plants,and the electricity generated could be transmitted to the regional- <br /> I power grid. All of these opportunities would require water. Surface mining requires water for dust <br /> suppression and land reclamation. Coal or gas-fired power plants typically use water for cooling,as <br /> would a coal gasification plant. A coal slurry pipeline would mix pulverized coal with water and pipe the <br /> resulting slurry. <br /> 2.1.1.2.5 Livestock and Wildlife Water Use <br /> Both Colorado Ute Tribal reservations contain large areas of rangeland,but the use of this rangeland is <br /> limited by the scarcity of developed water sources. Livestock operators could make more effective use of <br /> the rangeland if additional watering facilities were installed. In addition,using some of their water to <br /> help sustain wildlife is important to the Colorado Ute Tribes. The Colorado Ute Tribes would be <br /> interested in providing watering facilities for wildlife,especially where pipelines could be tied into the <br /> delivery systems established for other uses on the reservations. <br /> 2-7 2.1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND <br />