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<br />Durango Herald Online <br /> <br />GJ2342 <br /> <br />Page lof2 <br /> <br />... <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />40.5" - WNW, 3,0 mph <br /> <br />DurangoHerald.com <br /> <br />Wedn <br /> <br />THE DURA1~GO HERALD <br /> <br />....~...rl..~1K.. <br /> <br /> <br />Navigate Site <br /> <br />News <br /> <br />April 13, 2005 <br /> <br />City invests $1 million in A-LP <br /> <br />By Shane Benjamin <br />Herald Staff Writer <br /> <br />The Durango City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to pay more than a million dollars <br />toward the possible acquisition of water from the Animas-La Plata Project <br /> <br />Making the down payment does not mean the city will draw water from the reservoir, but it <br />does ensure a better cost for buying into the project in 2011, when A-LP is expected to be <br />completed. <br /> <br />The total estimated cost for building the infrastructure to draw water from the 120,OOO-acre-foot <br />reservoir is nearly $6 million, That figure is expected to remain steady with the exception of <br />inflation and unforeseen cost overruns. <br /> <br />Almost two years ago, the Bureau of Reclamation, which is in charge of the project, announced <br />A-LP would cost $500 million, a 48 percent increase over its initial budget of $338 million, <br /> <br />However, on Tuesday, Dan Law, executive director of the Colorado Water Resources and <br />Power Development Authority, said the latest cost estimate, adjusting for inflation, for A-LP is <br />now $522 million, The longer it takes Congress to complete funding of the project, Law said, <br />the more likely it is for inflation to further increase costs. <br /> <br />Councilors on Tuesday gave different reasons for supporting the down payment. <br /> <br />Mayor Joe Colgan said the city avoids a retroactive interest payment by buying inlo the project <br />before April 30. The city will save between $2 million and $3 million by making the down <br />payment rather than waiting until its completion, he said, <br /> <br />Councilor Sidny Zink said A-LP will affect Durango's way of life 100 years from now, She <br />hopes that 50 years from now, people will look back and say today's council made a wise <br />decision by buying into the project <br /> <br />Councilor Virginia Castro said drawing from A-LP makes more sense than the city building its <br />own reservoir and flooding another pristine area, such as Horse Gulch, <br /> <br />Keyword ~ <br /> <br />E <br />~ <br /> <br />II <br /> <br /> <br />http://w Ww ,d urangoherald ,CO mJasp-bi nl artic Ie_gene ration .asp ?artic Ie _ty pe=news&article _'" 4/13/2005 <br />