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<br />{)666 <br /> <br />'. <br /> <br />UTE MOUNTAIN UTE WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT <br />ISSUE BRIEFING <br /> <br />The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe of Indians has for the past <br />three decades been an ardent supporter of the Dolores and <br />Animas/La Plata Water Projects. The Tribe has supported <br />these projects for the following primary reasons: <br /> <br />- To bring .wet water" to the reservation to allow <br />the Tribe to develop an acceptable homeland including <br />water for municipal, industrial, agricultural and <br />other community needs. <br /> <br />.:. <br /> <br />To cooperate with other residents of the region in <br />resolving tribal water rights claims through <br />construction of federal water projects which will <br />provide the wa ter needed to resolve such claims. <br /> <br />The Ute Mountain Tribal Council has worked collectively <br />with the cities, counties and special water districts in .the <br />region to secure funding for the construction of the Dolores <br />and Animas/La Plata Projects. The Tribal Council has made <br />annual pilgrimages back to Washington, D.C. to testify on <br />behalf of these projects. The attitude among all regional <br />water users has been one of cooperation to resolve long <br />standing reserved water rights claims. <br />The Tribe is currently faced with an untenable <br />posizion. It ardently supported the Dolores project in the <br />belief that the water it provided would be affordable. <br />Current:-=nstruction and operation and maTnten.ance cost <br />eSfimatesi however, are far mor:e.than .the.Tribe. will be able. <br />to afford; In addition,th* Tribe severely lacks the <br />technical.;expertise it needs ..to'.. use the water .once. it <br />arrives on the reservati'on. As a result;-..the.Tribe's Water <br />Resources. Task Force has devi sed a proposal__ to he1p-- the <br />Tribe meet these costs. <br /> <br />Background Information <br /> <br />In 1980, the Ute Mountain Tribal Council established <br />the Ute Mountain Water Resources Task Force. .The Task <br />Force was given the broad charter of planning out the <br />Tribe's poition of,the Dolores River Project~ and of <br />prepacing the Tribe organizationally to maximize. the <br />benefits of the project. The Task Force has worked for the <br />last four. (4) years on a variety of tribal water resource <br />needs. <br /> <br />-1- <br /> <br />.. <br />