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<br />. <br /> <br />0274 <br /> <br />Rocky MountaIn News <br /> <br />Friday, May 2. 1986 <br /> <br />e/Region <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />-.- <br /> <br />Duva~~: OU-pries plunge <br />Ihre~r~erJs Atnimas..la P~aia <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />9". JOAN lOWY <br />~OC~~ Mountain N..ws WaSI'l,nqlon BUrf"3U <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />WASIII:'\GTO:'\ - P]un~m~ l'ner~)' prlt'CS have <br />111autc' the Anlln..s.~ Plaia water project In Colorado <br />:md 1':1'''' :\I~.'ut'o less likel... lh~n ever to be bUilt. the <br />ht';.ld of the f}ureau of Hcc!am;ulOn Solid yesterday. <br />Dale DU\"JJ1. commiSSIOner of reclamation. said <br />that benl'flts of the $550 million project are dcpen- <br />,lent on sellin~ ('0.11 mmed In the area. E\'cn if the <br />(l'llt'ral government .]cn'pl('d proposals from projo'ct <br />"p'mson, ,,(( we bUilt that project today, they couldn't <br />~ell the ('Q,)I." he s..JuJ. <br />"I'm ('ootidcnl th..l SIO.,]- <br />h.aft'l 011 IS nOI gom~ (0 stay <br />..rnund forcvt'r and lht're will <br />"orne .J lIme when the co.11 <br />re~en'I'S In the arl''] are ~Oln~ <br />10) I,.. Ile\'l'lopt-'tJ:. Duvall s.lld. <br />III.'! also "Ul:~l'st~d thal In- <br />_[('au 01 bUlldlnlt the proll'l't. <br />'nl' Inh'flor [)epartmenl may <br />lrv t\) set up a spt.'CIJI trusl <br />funlJ to compt'nsate the South- <br />dn Cll' JM lIle :>toumaln <br />I'll' Indt,}n tflbes in south. <br />......~!>(l'rn Color;ldo lor their Donald Hodel <br />watl.'!r fI~hlS. <br />"I will lI,}tl)' sa~. I do not fecI the cost sharing <br />propvsal IS slandUll~ up 10 the stand:.rd" for water <br />;'roJl't:ts st't by Inteflor Sl'('retary Don.3ld Hodel. Du- <br />~.,JII S;Jld, <br />Du\.all .JJdl't.! th3t he IS .'definatch. rccomml"ndinll:n <br />,he ddJ(';Jte agrft'mcnt be renl'li:otlJted. The -lgrl'e- <br /> <br /> <br />mcnt .....as the result of ne~oti3tions amung the states <br />._ nl Colorado and New MeXICO, the city of Farmington, <br />N :-'L the Indi;m tribes and set.cral water districts. <br />Thl' final decision on the project is in the hands of <br />Hodel. .....ho app.1rently shares the same concerns. <br />Rep. :-.ltkc Strang, R-Colo" a strong supporter of <br />the projl'Ct, declined to discuss the details of a Tues- <br />day lIll'l.'ltng with lIodel. but said he doesn't expect a <br />pusltl\'e decision on the cost.shanng agreement. <br />At stake are enormous water rights gent>rally ac. <br />knowledged to belong to the Indbn tribes, but which <br />Wl're devt>loped by non. Indian residents of southwest- <br />ern Colorado and northern New ~1exico without com. <br />pens.1tlOn. <br />TribJI leaders say they are prepart>d for:) legal <br />b:lttle to retrieve the fights for themselves unless the <br />bureau constructs a new .....ater project on the Animas <br />and 1..1 Plata flvers to make up for the lost water. <br />Duvall acknowledged that rejection of the prOject <br />('Quill lead to a le~al baltJe. <br />.'We had a IMRe dele~ation including the attorneys <br />and .some of the representatives of the tribes In here <br />wlthin the last 2 or 3 .....eeks and they made it abun. <br />d.Jntly de.lr th.Jt liti~ation is in their mind if the <br />government c.:In't find a way to go forward:' Du\.all <br />said. <br />;\lthou~h the cost-sharing ag.cemem calls for the <br />bl'neficl';lC\cS to pick up $23l mllllon of the project. <br />Duvall expn'ssl'd skepticism thaI figure could be mel <br />bl'(':)ust> it's tied to the development of Indian coal <br />rcs('rvcs. <br />lie also exprl'SSl'd skepticism. given the current <br />plj~ht of (.Jrmers, th.Jt they would be able to purchase <br />waler from the project for irrigJtion. <br />The As.socJ:Jted Pn'SS C'Onmbuh.>d to Ihis report <br />