WSPC03491

• File Number: 8220.106.O
• Description: Colorado River Water Projects - Animas La Plata - Project Funding
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 11/1/2003
• Author: DOI-BOR
• Title: Animas La Plata Project - Construction Cost Estimates - Report to the Secretary - November 2003
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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conversion of the contractor's detailed cost estimates to Reclamation's
construction cost estimate format.

A working draft of the Supplemental EIS was provided to WCAO on October 20,
1999. The WCAO subsequently requested a review of the "Feasibility Design
and Estimate Appendix" (Appendix E) of this Draft Supplemental EIS (DSEIS)
by technical staff in Reclamation's Denver Office.

The technical staff in Denver provided comments to WCAO and pointed out that
Appendix E did not contain sufficient information and detail to complete an in-
depth review of the cost estimates. Still, work appeared to continue to complete
the DSEIS withoui addressing this concern. The 2000 DSEIS, including
Appendix E ("Feasibility Estimate of Animas-La Plata Project"), was filed by
Reclamation on January 14, 2000, with the 2000 FSEIS filed on July 17, 2000. It
appears that between January 1999 and July 2000 most attention centered on
accelerating the schedule to complete all environmental requirements with limited
focus on accuracy of the cost estimate, The Project, which was generally smaller
than originally Pfoposed, was authorized by the Congress on December 21, 2000.

The estimates contained in Appendix E were identified as being at the feasibility
level. The Appendix included descriptions and estimates for all of the Project's
major features and key components of each feature, including a requirement to
relocate parts of gas pipelines and County Road 211 from within the Ridges Basin
reservoir site. Appendix E also identified three potential southern routes across
Southern Ute Indian Tribe lands for relocation of the gas pipelines. None of these
routes was selected in the 2000 FSEIS and ultimately the relocation occurred
along a northern alignment at an increase4 cost.

C. Activities Since Project Authorization (December 2000. July 2003)

From early 2001 to July 2003, actions centered on pre-construction and initial
construction work. Although the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe initially wanted
responsibility for all aspects of the Project, they subsequently agreed to
Reclamation being responsible for the design and construction management ofthe
Project. Reclamation was delegated construction authority by the Department in
January 2001. A Project Management options paper was prepared by staff in
Reclamation's WCAO in March 2001 and used in project implementation strategy
meetings that followed. In May 2001, a Project Management Team (PMT) was
formed by the Reclamation's Upper Colorado Regional Director.

Consistent with the Reclamation Manual (FAC 03-02, 9-29-2000), the PMT
included representation from Reclamation's Construction, Area, and Regional
Offices. Staff in Reclamation's Technical Service Center (TSC) in Denver began
final design work on Ridges Basin Dam in October 2001. A value engineering
study on outlet works was completed in November 2001; the study team included
representatives from the TSC, Durango Field Office, and consultants to the Ute
Mountain Ute Tribe. Initial design work was initiated on the Durango Pumping