PROJ00483 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I La Plata River Three sub-alternatives Johnson Reservoir Lightner Creek Two sub-alternatives Animas-La Plata Project Sheep Springs Gulch Basin Creek City of Durango With and without PIP's Animas River Treated and Untreated Water Systems Table IV-A lists the plans and shows the construction cost, O,M&R cost, total annual cost, and cost per thousand gallons in 1990 and at buildout. Assumptions were made about the cost of either purchasing water rights or water from third parties. The cost of pipelines, pumps, and dams is consistent in all plans. The 1990 cost per thousand gallons of the alternatives ranged from $1.69 to $3.72. Generally, the plans that included a dam were the more expensive, with the exception of City of Durango which was expensive because of the Plant Investment Pees (PIP). Additional wells were not considered a long term source of water because of the production from existing wells and studies that have been made of potential aquifer yields within a couple hundred feet of the surface. The Sheep Springs Gulch area has proven to yield the most water, but it is fully developed. The aquifer below 500 feet has not been thoroughly studied, but the yield of one of the wells at that level has not been good. The best plans based upon the cost per thousand gallons were the La Plata River, Lightner Creek, the Animas-La Plata Project (ALP), and Johnson Reservoir. The best plan, if it were constructed, would have been the ALP but unfortunately it is about ten years in the future. The ALP includes about 2,000 acre-feet of water for a large area that includes Durango West. One of the evaluation criteria for the alternatives was to select a plan that could be included in the ALP when it is constructed, which favors the La Plata River and Johnson Reservoir. Lightner Creek could not be easily incorporated into the ALP. The La Plata River and Johnson Reservoir received the most attention initially, to determine if there was some aspect that would preclude one of the plans. Johnson Reservoir offers the advantage of very little construction cost. Essentially all that is needed is a treatment plant. A 6-inch pipeline from the reservoir already exists to convey the water to Durango West. The reservoir is 1,000 acre-foot capacity which is adequate with present water rights. The main physical problem is that there is about a 500 foot pump lift to convey water. Negotiations were held with the owner o.f the reservoir to purchase raw water; as of the date of this report he is not willing to sell raw water. The owner wants to sell treated water. Several draft contracts were exchanged between the owner and the Districts, but the owner would not consider less than $3.50 per thousand gallons, plus a - 13 -