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<br />Durango Herald Online <br />~,., = <br />. '"OJ <br /> <br />CiQZ341 <br /> <br />Page 2 of 3 <br /> <br />Doug Lyon, a Fort Lewis College professor and city planning commissioner, said he hasn't read <br />the proposed agreement and doesn't know if he would endorse it. <br /> <br />"But the current City Council is the current City Council," Lyon said, "I think they have the <br />right to make the decisions they see fit until the end of their terms." <br /> <br />Michael Black, a longtime critic of the A-LP and a frequent litigant on related matters over the <br />years, said Monday that water interests are trying to sneak a fastball by the public. He raised <br />three issues: <br /> <br />. An early water study showed that the city would need more Animas River water only if the <br />population reaches 40,000 and faced another drought year like 2002. <br /> <br />Rogers answered that the study found that in the case of another drought year such as 2002 and <br />with all water rights being used, even the current <br />population of 15,000 would need an additional 500 <br />acre-feet of water storage, <br /> <br />. Black said he wasn't notified of any negotiating <br />sessions on the water contract, despite being on the list <br />of people to be notified of matters related to A-LP, <br /> <br />Rogers' response was that the law makes contractual <br />negotiations private, <br /> <br />. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe, which will receive 40 <br />percent of A-LP water without sharing in the cost of <br />the project. should make water available to the city, <br /> <br /> <br />Rogers said Utes leaders were approached a couple of years ago about selling water to the city <br />but declined, saying they didn't know what tribal needs would be, <br /> <br />Animas-La Plata was a negotiated settlement of American Indian water-right claims, A <br />pumping station on the Animas River near Santa Rita Park and a 120,OOO-acre-foot reservoir in <br />the hills southwest of Durango will provide water for three American Indian tribes and other <br />interests in Colorado and New Mexico. <br /> <br />Almost two years ago, the Bureau of Reclamation, which is in charge of the A-LP project, <br />announced construction costs had jumped from a projected $338 million to $500 million, a 48 <br />percent increase. Environmental groups have spent more than a decade trying unsuccessfully to <br />block construction of the project in court. <br /> <br />Reach SIa!! WriterDale Rodebaugh bere ' <br /> <br /> <br />-~~'.'.-~:.'~"'~~~~HOr~:~~~t;~r1I~~'l <br />'.\& . <br /> <br /> <br />http://www.durangoherald.com/as p- b in! article ....genera t i on, as p ?article _ type=news&article _'" 4/ I 2/2005 <br />