BOARD01574

• Board Meeting Date: 3/11/1981
• Description: CWCB Meeting
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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Discussion of West Slope Projects

The 1968 Colorado River Basin Project Act directs the

Secretary of the Interior:

...to proceed as nearly as practicable with the
construction of the Animas-LaPlata, Dolores, Dallas
Creek, West Divide, and san Miguel participating...
projects concurrently with the construction of the
Central Arizona Project, to the end that such projects
shall be completed not later than the first delivery
of water from said Central Arizona Project.... (Emphasis supplied)
Section 501(b)

In order to even come close to complying with this provision,

construction would have to start no later than 1982 on the

Animas-LaPlata, San Miguel, and West Divide projects since the
first delivery of water to CAP is presently scheduled for late

1985 or early 1986.

With respect to the Animas-LaPlata project, all the necessary
planning has been accomplished, the EIS is completed. and the
project has been found to have a BjC ratio of about 1.2 at

the present time (the BjC ratio consistently declines over time

as costs escalate at a greater rate than do the benefits).

However, a repayment contract, which is a condition precedent

to the initiation of construction, has yet to be executed

with the local water conservanCY district which is the project

sponsor. This is because the district's petition to expand

its boundaries to include all project lands and the city of

Durango has been countered in district court with an opposition

petition. This proceeding should be completed in the near
future, with the project proponents reporting that they expect
to prevail. If this is the case, then the expanded district

will be formed and the repayment contract negotiated. That

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