WSPC07572 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

':," . . " 1131 ...... ".. >'::;:li;~tt . "~~ ,~~<... '., ",,\.:~,~~;,,_i.... ':....;., , ',\:'~>/i''i:.''~i~ : '. .~:.';" ~'., ' . '" .~, .... .~. . .'. ;..... .......:>,:,;~:'~&t;......... .,'f'<~,::i:~l;~:lz'~i'{::'~:~t~kU.:!~:::.t~.:,i:\;~:i~!;~:,;~Y,(;.:,. {fh reemore' meef';ngsCSfj't. :"\,~.~.>:~.~ . t'....t" " . .:~~{~.~~::.. ff ,,".> . Continued from Page.1 muntclpal and industrial facllitle5. Also to be worked out Ls allocaUon of water rights on riven elL!t at the Animas for theSouthem Ute Tribe. - How to deliver the Indians their regotlated share! of the water without depriving present non- Indian water usen. The subcammlttees will meet separately and 88 many urnes as they deem necessary durtng the peri04 .up to the January Tow8oc meotIng. . Rep......lIng the .latell durtog the l!eSions were Colorado Attorney General Duane Woodard; Bill Me- OQnald" DIrector of the COlorado Water, Conservation Board; Ivai JOBlln, special consultant on the AnIma..I.o Plaia Project on behliff ri the Colorado Water ResollI'Ce5 and Power Development Authority and its fonner director; Paula PbIlUpa of Woodard's office; and AillUp Mutz and Steven Reynolds of ~ New Mexl.co Interstate Stream QlnunWlon. Among the federal officials from the Department of Interior were MIke Clinton, the negottato!' for the Indian' water rights and cost-6har1ng committees, and Joe Membrlno, IIOUcltor for the department. . Representing the non.Ind1an water lISen within the areas of the streams affected by the water rightB IIlI1t were Fred Kroeger of the South- west Water COMervaUon District., Tom Colbert of the Mancos Water Conservancy DIstrict and John MUI'- PlY 01 the _I.o Plaia Water Conservancy District. Bruce McMee of the Dolores Water Con- Ia'V8ncy Dbtrlct was unable to at- tend. Durango Mayor Ann Brown bI d1alrperoon 01 tile forum and Jim Hyler coordinator. Representing the Ute Mountain Ute indian TrIbe were Council 0laJ.nnan Ernest House, C01U)o dlWOlllll/l Judy KnJgb~ Joe Keck aqd attorney Daniel llU1Iel. For the Southern Ute Tribe were Chri8 Bater, Don E. Baker and attorney Scott McElroy. A joint s,tatemeot drawn up from the earller' meeting In Ignacio was presented to the negotlaUng fonun on IIoaoclng BOd co-obarlng priJ>. clpals for 'the water r1gJita aggree- ment on tbe Animas-La Plata. . "This Isn't an agreement In prin- clpal," but a report, Goslin remarked, gIving Colorado's position on the paper followtng the reading and remarks by cUnton. Poin.t! In the proposed. paper: 1. Non-Indian municipal and In- dustrial water (Durango, Far. nUngto', etc.). All cooto "ould be paid by the slalelJ 01 Colorado (f22.3 mllllon) and New Mexico ('18.2 ~on), with repayment revenue! retumlngto the.latell. Goallo and Woodard ..Id that tile Colorado Water and Power Authority has $30 mllIlon to help " _.re "ater proJecl3. The only way the M&:I can be funded is through revenue bonds, hence there can't beany up-front money. Z.Indian municipal and industrial water (Towaoc, Ignacio). The federal government. would pay $7lI.7 mllllon of the total cost of $116.1 million. The non-federal sha:re of up- front financing for Indian MM. water, t3G.4m1lUon, reflects the cost r1 the Southern Ute Dam and Reser. voir, to be funded by the Southern ute Tribe or State of Colorado when hilll. New Malco would pay the JJ mIllIon for Interim facilJties to sup- ply water until Southern Ute Dam la WIll. Repayment of the fedel'll.l '19.7 would be deferred unW the water is llOld, tile tribeo belng respoomble for repayment or M&I constnJ.ctlon and r1 operaUons, maintenance and repair costs. 3. Non-IIJdian irrtgation, totallng $332.1 mlllion, would be financed by the federal govenunent, which in- cludes $285.7 million in Colorado and $48.'mlWonIn New Mexico. Repayment by the fanners will return totbe Federal Treasuery. However, the government fee15 that non-tedel'll.l entitie!: should . finance from one-lourth to one.half the costs, U!Ing up-front financing or an Increase In the Colorado River Storage Project hydroelectric power rates at Glen Canyon, Blue Mesa FlamIng Gorge and other plants, meaning an Increase of one and two- thlrdII1llb. t. Indian irrigation. The federal government would fiIwlce $3'1.7 mllIlon 01 the 185.8 mlIIlon coot W>- Iler the Leavitt Act, "bleb provld.. that the Indlallll not have to repay, wt only are responalble for ~atlolUJ and maintenance costI. It was propOl!led that the remaln- der of the cost would be repaid to the federal government througb Colorado River Storage Project power revenues. The Ute Mountain Ute Irrigation lBcIlItIe3, oootlng 148.1 mlDlon, would be luoded by tile tribe through . ita!llggested development fund and would be bullt through staged con- stnJctlon, with operation begInnIng In 2000. Operations and maintenance would be paid by the tribe uolog revenUe!: from fanning. 5. Recreation, ffah and wildllfe and Cultural resources. The non-Indian coob would be funded by the slates, flU milllon by Colorado and $9.3 million by New Mexico. The federal govenunent would PRY' the '18.6 mllllon for Indian- related facll1t1es. Dissenting opinIons were that Colorado and New MeDco don't want to finance such measures. But the federal government fee15 that the features are subject to cost- sharing negotiations. Gosnell and Woodard 88id that "'" '<~ :'~""X~( '.'''. Colorado believes It Ls a federal duty, but the state 18 w1ll1ng to sbare the costs, providing repaymen~ Is deferred 'unW ~ end of con- struction. 6. TribBI development funds. The Southern Ute Tribe wants$3l) mUllon and theUte Mountain UtelI want '100 million 88 compensation for set- tlement of claims for past federal negUgence, the fundo to be used to support MId uses and fann devel~ ment to increase self-sufficiency and economic well-being. The forum ouggeob f22.3 mlDlon . foc the Southern Utea BOd $53.1 million for the Ute Mountain Utes, lor a total 01175.8 mllIlon, 01 "bleb the federal goverment would pay fR.' mWIIon BOd Colorado fR.7 mlllion. The slate's contribuUon to the fund would be based on avoided lawsuits in court and damages to mn-Indlan water users. 1be federal government's contribution wo~ be based on avoIded lawsuit court costs and waJved charges of negligence stemming from pooalble fallure to ..erd.ella tnlBl respolWbUlty. Dw.nllng, the slalell belleve that development funds should be finan- ced wholly by the federal govern- Imllt as trmtee for the tribes. But the government feels the nm- IndIans should share the COlIlta because of settlIng the water rights JrOblema. Goslin and Woodard stated that It would be "impossible" for the State .<< Colorado to produce such Indian development funds. In order to fund llUCb a program, tIleyllll1d, tile 01- flc1als would have to go to the irtate Ieglslat'ure, which is already .uuggllng with Its budgal. Survival r1 such a request would have 88 IlD.Icb a chance as "a snowball in that hot place," Woodard stated. 7. Other repayment of llfe cycle (of the p(Ojecl) costs for operattOll!l, maintenance and replacement. Non- federal entit1e3 would bear the $33.5 million over the yean. 8, Escrow accounts will be kept for ...eb part 01 tile project to earn In- tereot. or the prop~ paper, the New MeJ:1C8l1S said that they wanted the constroctioo time cut down to 88ve up to '100 mllIlon if it $'etches to 18 yean. " They added that New Mezico could ammge for '18.2 mlWon up- front funding by Issuing revenue bonds for noo-.IndIan irrigation. But, lhey said, the federal govern- ment. should bonor the 1968 1eglalaU.. "bIch provided that the Dolorea, _La Plala and lhree <ther Colorado projects be buIlt at the same dme u the Central Arizona, and all without l!Iuch restrlctlonsascost-ebartng. General dbcussion that followed Irooght agreement that tile 11168 legislation should be honored, but that "economic reality" now dominates the Congress' way of fun- ding projects. .- (~, -"....'