|
<br />DU~~D~o; Colorado
<br />
<br />DUllA?lGO L':MLD
<br />
<br />.D16t: 140
<br />UC-140
<br />UC-700
<br />Re~1onal Solicitor, SLC +
<br />Felix Sparks, CWCB, Denver I
<br />Willard Ea Le~is
<br />'Grand Junction
<br />Durango
<br />
<br />March 26, 1975
<br />
<br />THIS "cOrY FO,!
<br />
<br />RECn~'[1) ,
<br />
<br />MAR 3 1 1975
<br />COlO. WATER
<br />J:ONsalvATIOH IIOARO
<br />
<br />volved in water matters down
<br />t1u-ouBh lheyenrs must be aware
<br />of the shock which hit our com.
<br />munity when we discovered that
<br />there might be a prior right to
<br />the waters of the Mancos River,
<br />especially since we have, in
<br />good faith, entered into a re-
<br />payment contract with the Uni- '
<br />ted States and have been pay-
<br />ing for our project all of these
<br />year..
<br />"Apparently, if the Indian
<br />tribes are granted Number One
<br />-water right on the Mancos Ri-
<br />ver, the people who will be most'
<br />damaged by stich a claim will
<br />be the people of our area. If the
<br />tribes receive a Number One
<br />priority water right for their
<br />iands and' build the necessary
<br />diversion facilities to put the
<br />'right to beneficial use, there
<br />will be no water left for the com_
<br />munity of Mancos and the sur-
<br />rounding farmers and ranchers
<br />....If it sounds like we feel we
<br />have been wronged, it is because
<br />that is the feeling in our com-
<br />munity.. . . The situation is
<br />critical. Recognizing that the
<br />construction of both the AnImas-
<br />LaPlata and Dolores projects
<br />will solve the Indian water
<br />rights conflict, we urge.. . . sup-
<br />port for a construction request
<br />to Congress for the polores pro-
<br />ject this year, and to continue
<br />with planning on the AnImas-
<br />La Plata project," Doerfer
<br />stated.
<br />Both projecl$ have been so
<br />rme-tuned that they will meet
<br />the most urgent water needs
<br />of the Utes and established wa-
<br />,ter users in Southwe'stern Cola-
<br />'rado to settle the Indian-nan_
<br />i Indian water rights controversy .
<br />. Sparks spoke up as both dir-
<br />ector of the CWCB and as a
<br />!'lng-time attorney for the Ute
<br />Mountain Ute tribe primarily
<br />interested in the Dolo~es pro-
<br />'ject. Sparks verged on the im-
<br />'passionate in a short,commen.
<br />tary on the Dolores. "The Un-
<br />ited 'States entered into a treaty
<br />with the Ute Mountain Ute
<br />tribe in 1.86S, but M water has
<br />'ever been provided to the two
<br />
<br />((-~)' 1"1 e 0
<br />\~~ a~)VD ffLru n
<br />Ii)
<br />nc
<br />U<)
<br />
<br />*@r [Q)@~@[t~s~.
<br />- ~. ".
<br />[J~ LG@ fi"lru'od \)" ~
<br />
<br />"1
<br />
<br />~\','.Sj.;:.<':'..-....~.. - - ::>vulhwest.
<br />cr-, Color;;do's Dolores project,
<br />with imp:\lient backing from
<br />SCllthwcstcrn Colorado, and also
<br />from GO\', Richard Lamm, D.-
<br />Colo., and CQlor:ldo Water Dir-
<br />ector Felix L. Sparks, s.tands
<br />the be:>t chance o{ any of the
<br />Colorado prujects to get extra
<br />fuuuing from Congress.
<br />
<br />Th:lt \Vas clear from the Colo-
<br />rado Water ConservMion Board
<br />meeting tH're last week. Backers
<br />of the Dolores Project want
<br />another $500,000 to get a new
<br />construction start on the Dol-
<br />ores project in addition to the
<br />$207 ,000 requested in the Presi-
<br />dent's fiscal year budget for
<br />preconslruction planning on the
<br />Dolores,
<br />Backers lold the water board
<br />that the Dolores project would
<br />be ready {or construction by the
<br />end of the year. Bureau of Ree-
<br />
<br />(") r('l1h't
<br /><'... lJ : U
<br />
<br />lamation Regional Director
<br />David Cl'an<laU from the Salt
<br />Lake City TcgiO'lll oUice ~i1ded
<br />that the Dolor('s jlrlljl:ct definite
<br />plan reporl wrHlld be comi11ded
<br />in the field by Jllly. The dd.nite
<br />plan report on the Dallas Creek
<br />projed in lI'('st central Colorado
<br />was completed in the field this
<br />month, Crand;llI said, but Dal:
<br />las Creek is involved In contro-
<br />versy because there Is a tenta-
<br />tive allocation of 24,000 aere-
<br />feet of water in it to a coal de-
<br />velopment beirig fought by a
<br />group from Ouray.. Dolores
<br />doesn't ba ve opposition.
<br />
<br />Instead, it has impatient
<br />backers, strongly cheered on by
<br />Sparks and Rep, Frank E. Ev-
<br />ans, D.colo" the Congressman
<br />from the arC!a, serves on the
<br />strategic House Appropriations
<br />Committee.
<br />The new governor, Richard
<br />
<br />Lamm, in a'leher to the Board
<br />on March 17, said odliitional
<br />fundfng requests for "Dolores
<br />comtruction funds would have
<br />mr backing and support...
<br />
<br />Doth Indian and white' resi-
<br />dents in the Southwestern part
<br />of tbe state are uptight about
<br />the lack of water development
<br />in thefr area, and are both im-
<br />patient about it. "The Ute peo-
<br />ple are not satisfied with water
<br />resource development which
<br />has taken place in Southwest-
<br />ern Colorado," Chris Baker,
<br />vice chairman.,of the Southern
<br />Ute Indian tribe headquartered
<br />at 19naeio, testified at the board
<br />meeting here on March 20. He
<br />spoke for hImseU and for Thom-
<br />as House, treasurer of the Ute
<br />Mountain Ute Indian tribe head-
<br />quartered at TowaQc. "The In-
<br />dian people of Southwestern
<br />Colorado want something more
<br />
<br />than a court dccree whicb says
<br />they are cntillcd to water......
<br />It \:armot be \.l~,'Ii unless the. In-'
<br />dian people ho ve the physical
<br />facilities avaH;d;.le'to I)ut the
<br />water to use. The Iltdian people
<br />were greatly imptclis-cd by the
<br />,recent action of the Water Re-
<br />sources Congress in designatine
<br />the DOlorcs project as a pro.
<br />ject of national urgency" to'
<br />help settle a water rights prob-
<br />lem between Indians and non-
<br />Indians in the area, Baker
<br />told the board. '
<br />LIQyd E. Doerfer, Mancos
<br />Water Consc-l'vnncy District at
<br />Mancos, said bis area is very
<br />much uptight about lack of wa-
<br />ter development in the area be-
<br />cause "the people of the Mancos
<br />Valley were dismayed to 'dis-
<br />cover in 1912 there was a prior"
<br />claim to the waters of the Man. '
<br />cos River, Any person who
<br />bas ever irrigated 8!ld been In-
<br />
<br />Indian tribes in the are:!.. I thillt
<br />this shows some llegHgcnc~'__
<br />the part of the United SI~tCS'1a
<br />not providing a dr"p f, r wa....
<br />to the Indians in n~ ';H.'~a far
<br />more than 100 )'cal'-;;. t. .'iJllUtGI
<br />stated.
<br />Bob K. Taylor of the La PIllIIa
<br />Water Conserv.aney DtJti:J<<
<br />who has been a farmer OIl.
<br />Animas.La Plata ror 30 :,.-elfJ'.J,
<br />said people in I'iIs area are- eon-
<br />(lorned too about Indian wilt8r'
<br />rights. "I am sure that the.
<br />. dians have some 'rights :d
<br />they also Deed water on'lIlIir
<br />lands....'M1e only way tc p2'>>-
<br />vide this needed watt'll' ij5
<br />throu-gh construction tiC (lI.fl",w.
<br />ter projects," T.l)'lor S'tatc8.
<br />Taylor also provided some'Jn..
<br />teresting new details 0( UR
<br />plans which have come belot'e
<br />the Animas-La .Plab Advilotf'
<br />Team on the rev.ampcd Auima-
<br />La Plata project, "A01I'l18 these
<br />are the recre:ltion p;::i.en'tiallJnr
<br />the Ridges Basin ReseplMr__
<br />mediately south of the citr_
<br />purango and the P!)~
<br />that t.he La l'J:da ril"e1', whiCh
<br />histol'ically is a tiFy slN:ltm
<br />during lUllst of the ,year, m~
<br />through the utlliJ.:Hion of pro.
<br />ject waters -and StorBg€: 1adli-
<br />ties, become -.I -live stream
<br />horn La Marn Canyon ~~e
<br />city of Fa-rmington, N.M...-
<br />Taylor stated.
<br />Speakh1g for the San MigmI
<br />Water Conservancy Distt'idt.
<br />William Raley-of the San Miputl
<br />area in SOuthwestern Colona.
<br />also gave an updated VersiOD'4l
<br />this project, with a t1cfhtite-plan
<br />report due for completioa 'tit
<br />1977. One proposal now hem,
<br />cons.idered by a local advilroJ;y
<br />committee is a pcaklng powm'
<br />~ydroelectrk Plant; anothor
<br />calls for a sharp jnc~e in lU<-
<br />rigation water that will be avail-
<br />able in the are-a, ll:lley Slat.:li.
<br />There is $4SS,OOO in O:e .1rr.i'bul-
<br />-get for advance pJ:-"rmi"r. Oll'~
<br />Animas-La Plata project. '1_
<br />definite p!ao report 011 J,,11iUla'tr
<br />La Pbla is due to be eompletal
<br />in Sepl~mber ltr11;. Cran&il.
<br />said.
<br />
|