BOARD00665

• Board Meeting Date: 1/5/1982
• Description: Agenda, Minutes, Resolution
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

SUNNARY SHEETS

I

Animas-La Plata Proje~t

LOCATION

South...estern Colorado and north...estern Ne... ~[el<ico i.n the San Juan River
Basin of the Upper Colorado River Basin.

PLA."1

The Animas-La Plata Project would utilize flo...s uf the Animas and
La Plata Rivers for irrigation and municipal and industrial use. it
...ould also provide fish and ...ildlife measures, recreation facilities, a
cultural resources program, and area redevelopment. Service would be
provided to the La Plata Water Conservancy District in Colorado; the La
Plata Conservancy District and the cities of Aztec, Bloomfield. and
Farmington in New Mexico; the Ute Mountain Ute Indian 7ribe; the Southern
Ute Indian Tribe; and the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority.

Primary storage would be provided at the offstream Ridges Basin ii.eser-
voir, which would receive wQ~Cr pumped from the Anim~s River ~ea~
Durango, Colo., and conveyed through the Ridges Basin Inlet Conduit.
Secondary storage would be provided at the offstream Southern Ute
Reservoir, which would receive water diverted from the La Plata Ri'~'~""
near the Colorado-New Mexico State line and 'conveyed in the Southe~n Ute
Inlet Canal.

I

Irrigation ..."ter would be provided for full and supplemental sp.rvice
land in Colorado and New Mexico. Water for land in Colorado would be
pumped from Ridges Basin Reservoir by the Ridges Basin Pumping Plant and
conveyed through the Dry Side Canal, exrept that land toO high to be
served from the canal would receive water diverted directly from the La
Plata River. Some water ill the canal would be re leased to the La Plata
River for use downstream during periods of low streamflo.... During
periods of high flow, La plata River water would be diverted into the
Dry Side Canal to augment the supply west of the river. Water for land
in New Mexico would be stored i.n Southern Ute Reservoir and re leased to
the New Mexico Irrigation Canal. Eleven buried pipe lateral Syst"ffiS
would distribute the water to farms in hoth states, except that the land
to be served directly from the La Plata River would continue to be
gravity irrigat.ed. Pumping plants to provide pressure for five of the
lateral systems would be provided along the Dry Side, Southe~n Ut~
Inlet, and New Mexico Irrigation Canals.

In Colorado, municipal and industrial water for Durango would either bp.
diverted from the Ridges Basin rnlet Conduit or released -f~om Ridges

,

,.