WSPC02084 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

....' ') ..' OOilS.)- . . 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 B/C ratio of about 1.2 at the present time (the B/C 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 -2-