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r Fax:3038663558 Feb 4 '99 13:43 P.03 l' " Page 2 including a conservation pool. If cost is an issue, State and local entities may be willing to lend their support. 2. Animas-La Plata Reconciliation Plan (proponents' ALP Lite). This proposal represents iI. great deal of compromise and sacrifice on the part of the proponents, particularly the non-Indian irrigators. The Administration Proposal used this as a starting point, but changed some important aspects. The EIS should revisit some .of those changes. I'll discuss that more when I get to the Bureau proposal. 3. Animas River Citizens' Coalition Conceptual Alternative (majority of opponents). This proposal has two aspects -- giving the tribes money to buy irrigated lands and water rights and using existing water projects (and perhaps expanding them) to provide water to the tribes. There are serious problems with both aspects. ' As to giving the tribes money to buy water rights: First, it is uncertain that they would be able to buy enough water with the money. Second, they would have to change the water rights in water court, a notoriously difficult, time-consuming, and costly procedure, and one that could prevent them from using the rights year round for M&I purposes. Third, the wholesale transfer of non-Indian water rights could have serious adverse impacts on existing non-Indian c.onununities and their economies. As to using/expanding existing projects: The three Colorado projects identified in this proposal are Vallecito Reservoir (on the Pine River), Lemon Reservoir (on the Florida River), and McPhee Reservoir (the Dolores Project). The proposal for Vallecito involves lining canals to make the system more efficient and free up additional water. However, doing so would reduce inflows to Navajo Reservoir, which is likely to be unacceptable to the Navajo Nation. Also, there would be adverse environmental effects on wetlands, instrearn flows, and riparian areas. The proposal for Lemon involves raising the dam. The Bureau considered doing this back in the 1950s because the amount of shortages in the existing project exceeds Reclamation's . shortage guidelines, but decided not to do it because of the lack of an additional finn water supply. In other words, the basin is already too water short. The Bureau recognized that increaSing project efficiency to recover "lost" waier wouldn't work because it would injure other water users, wetlands, and riparian areas. The proposal for McPhee involves transferring presently unused M&I water to the United States for the benefit of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. However, the project is fully allocated. Except for that portion of the yield reserved by the United States and the Ute Mountain Ute, Tribe, the Dolores Water Conservancy District has contracted for the entire yield. The