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1976 to more than 350,000 in 1985. Two of Colorado's prized boating rivers, the Gunnison and the Dolores, have had white water recreation opportunities eliminated or greatly diminished by federally funded water projects which have directly inundated canyons or reduced river flows to the point where floating is no longer possible. This will happen to the Animas if this project is constructed. WATER QUALITY The project is not expected to produce any water quality improvement. Moreover, the EIS is deficient in its discussion of the project's ability to meet water quality standards. The only discussion of this subject appears on page C-24 where the EIS refers to the Bureau's commitment to meeting water quality standards in the Animas river during construction of the project. The EIS contains no further information specifically related to the ability of the project to meet water quality standards. TheEIS should describe the impacts of the project in relation to the numerical standards from the state's stream classification and anticipated classification of the water quality in reservoirs. The question of drinking water standards is also important in this~espect. The city of Durango's water would be made available from the Ridges Basin Reservoir Inlet Conduit to the city's treatment plant. In order to receive the water. a settlina basin will be constructed to remove 6.300 cubic yards of sediment a Year. This sediment will have to be hauled away ~eriodicallv. For the water users in the Breen, Colorado area, a water treatment plant will need to be constructed to use project water. The same will hold true for the rural water users and the Ute Mountain Utes receiving water through the Dryside Can~l. Wastewater Effluent The Durango wastewater treatment plant produces an effluent. This treated effluent is pres~ntly discharged into the Animas River a short distance upstream of the Project's Durango pumping plant. The Durango pumping plant would therefore receive river waters containing treated wastewater for discharge into Ridges Basin Reservoir. Since Project waters from the Reservoir or the Durango Pumping Plant will be utilized as a raw water source for drinking water, it would be advisable as part of the Project to convey the effluent from the wastewater treatment plant to a point downstream of the Durango Pumping Plant. The Bureau has recently indicated that this change would take place. 28