BOARD01955

• Board Meeting Date: 3/21/1973
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Memos
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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employed. For this reason alone, the Dolores project is a must.

The pending water litigation in the federal courts concerning the
water in the San Juan basin does not include the Dolores River basin.
~lliat claims, if any, the United States intends to assert on behalf
of the Ute Mountain Ute Indian tribe for waters of the Dolores River
is not yet known at this time. However, the Ute Mountain Ute tribe
has indicated a willingness to forego any claims it may have on the
Dolores River in return for water from the Dolores project. It is
my understanding that a formal expression of support for the project
has been made by the Ute Mountain Ute Indian tribe. directors of the
Montezuma Irrigation Company, the Dolores Water Conservancy District,
and the cities of Dove Creek and Cortez. We are going to need all
the help we can muster. Even with all of us working together and
everything going our way, it will be tough after the cutback in the
federal funds.

For conclusion and summary, the principal economy of the project area
is based upon agriculture and livestock production. Most of the
project area is now developed to dry farming with pinto beans and
wheat as the main crops. The soil in the area is excellent and has
a high productive capability. Partial crop failures are frequent
due to the lack of adequate precipitation. Considerable versatility
in the types of crops and a more certain production will come about
as a result of irrigation. That portion of the project lying around
Cortez now receives considerable irrigation water through the facil-
ities of the Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company. However, shortages
under this system are frequent and supplemental water is needed.

Tourism also provides an important base for the area, largely as the
result of the nearby Mesa Verde National Park. The proposed McPhee
Reservoir would add greatly to the tourism base since the reservoir
will lie in a beautiful setting and have a large permanent pool for
fishery and recreational purposes. The communities of Cortez, Cahone,
Pleasant View. and Dove Creek will all need additional municipal
water supplies in the future. During the past drouth years, the town
of Dove Creek has been forced to haul water supplies by truck. The
Indian community of Towaoc, south of Cortez, is in desperate need of
additional water supplies for both municipal and agricultural purposes.
The entire project area has been classified as a persistent depressed
area.

The problems in the San Juan basin have recently been complicated by
the litigation recently filed in the U. S. District Court in which

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