Laserfiche WebLink
<br />t'OC411 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />benefits to all water users in Southwest Colorado and to <br />municipal and agricultural water users in Northwest New Mexico. <br /> <br />~ <br />The Agreement in Principle has three major components: <br /> <br />; <br /> <br />(1) the satisfaction of Winter rights claims through <br />the delivery of water from the Dolores Project and the <br />Animas-La Plata Project (ALP), and the quantification <br />of water for the Tribes on various streams, and <br /> <br />(ii) the commitment to non federal cost sharing -- up <br />front financing for the Animas-La Plata Project and for <br />the Tribal development funds, and <br /> <br />(iii) the establishment of Tribal development funds to <br />assist the Tribes to make their Reservation <br />economically self sufficient. <br /> <br />The keystone of the settlement is the provision of water to <br />the two Tribes from the Dolores Project, which will be completed <br />in 1993 and from the Animas-La Plata Project which is not yet <br />under construction although authorized by Congress in 1968. The <br />additional water provided by the projects will permit the <br />continuance of non-Indian economies dependent upon existing water <br />supplies while simultaneously providing the Tribes with the water <br />they need to develop the resources of their Reservations. <br />Additional water will also be provided for the benefit of non- <br />Indian communities and farmers. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is <br />already entitled to 24,700 acre feet of water from the Dolores <br />Project. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe will also receive a <br />26,000 acre foot agriculture allocation and a 6,000 acre foot M&I <br />allocation from the Animas-La Plata Project (ALP). Under the the <br />ALP, the Southern Ute Tribe will receive a project allocation for <br />municipal and industrial uses of 26,500 acre feet and 3,400 acre <br />feet of agricultural water. Under the settlement, the Tribes <br />will not be obligated to repay the costs associated with the <br />provision of their allocations until revenue is actually <br />generated from the use of Tribal water. <br /> <br />Aside from receiving project water the Southern Ute Indian <br />Tribe is entitled to a total of 11,226 acre feet of water per <br />year from other water sources. Similarly, the Ute Mountain Ute <br />Tribe will receive 21,000 acre feet per year of junior right <br />water from the Mancos River and 4,800 acre feet per year on the <br />Navajo Wash as well as a direct flow right from the San Juan <br />River in the amount of 1,600 acre feet. In addition, the parties <br />to the Agreement in Principle have agreed upon a procedure for <br />the administration of those rights in the future. . <br /> <br />In light of the importance of ALP to the proposed <br />settlement, the second major component of the Agreement in <br />Principle is the commitments made by the State of Colorado, the <br />Ute Tribes, and local water users to honor Congress' 1985 mandate <br /> <br />2 <br /> <br />."A <br />