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<br />THE PROJECT AREA <br /> <br />The proposed Animas La Plata project is located in La Plata <br />and Montezuma counties of southwestern Colorado and in San <br />Juan County of northwestern New Mexico. This area is in the <br />eastern part of a region that is frequently called the "four <br />corners area" because of the unique juncture of the states <br />of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. The project area <br />lies within the upper Colorado River Basin and includes the <br />San Juan River and three of its tributaries--the Animas, La <br />Plata, and Mancos Rivers. <br />The area to be served by the project is subdivided into <br />Colorado and New Mexico portions. The largest city in the <br />Colorado portion is Durango, which is located on the Animas <br />River and is the retail trade center and largest city in <br />southwestern Colorado. To the west and southwest of Durango <br />are the rural communities of Hesperus, Breen, Kline, Marvel, <br />and Redmesa in the La Plata river drainage. <br /> <br />Farmington, the retail trade center of northwestern New <br />Mexico, is the largest city in the New Mexico portion of <br />the project area. Other communities in New Mexico are Aztec, <br />Bloomfield and Blanco to the east of Farmington1 La Plata <br />to the north1 and Kirkland, Fruitland, waterflow, Upper <br />Fruitland, Nenahnezad, and Shiprock to the west. <br /> <br />PROJECT PURPOSE <br /> <br />The Environmental Impact Statement on the project refers <br />repeatedly to the need to utilize the flows of the Animas <br />and La Plata Rivers for irrigation and municipal and <br />industrial uses. The Statement also asserts that the <br />project will provide fish and wildlife benefits, recreation <br />facilities, a cultural resources program, and area <br />redevelopment. There is little evidence, however, to <br />support these claims. <br /> <br />According to the 1987 Project Data Sheets of the Bureau of <br />Reclamation for the Animas La Plata, the project is being <br />undertaken for the following authorized project purposes: <br /> <br />Irrigation 67% <br />Municipal and Industrial water Supply 24% <br />Fish and wildlife 4% <br />CUltural Resources 3% <br />Recreation 2% <br /> <br />There is no flood control. Dower nroduotion or water <br />~;iit; i;~r~v;ment associated with the construction of this <br />~ro1ect. The stated reason for ignoring flood control for <br />the project is the location of the re.ervoirs offstream. The <br />Definite Plan Report for the project, however, .uggests that <br /> <br />5 <br />