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<br />Purpose and Needfor the Project <br /> <br />The existing pipeline has exceeded its useful design life. The pipeline can no longer meet current <br />peak day demands of Ute Water's customers and is subject to frequent failures due to physical <br />deterioration and its location in areas subject to flooding and landslides. Several alternative water <br />supply systems are currently being considered by Ute Water to replace the existing raw water <br />conveyance system. The selected action needs to provide a reliable, high quality, and cost effective <br />drinking water supply to Ute Water's customers. <br /> <br />ASignificant issue which will be addressed by the BLM's third-party EA consulting team is to <br />estimate an appropriate future demand level for sizing replacement water supply systems. An <br />independent expert who is familiar with the local water use and conservation practices of Ute <br />Water's customers has been retained to provide an estimate of the appropriate future demand levels. <br />This approach is intended to provide a sound and defensible basis for future designs that will <br />maximize the benefits of Ute Water's capital investment and minimize overall environmental impacts <br />to the area. <br /> <br />The Stakeholder Process <br /> <br />Prior to initiating the NEPA process with the BLM, Ute Water held informational exchange <br />meetings with 25 identified potential stakeholders. The purpose of these meetings was to: 1) <br />identify preliminary alternatives for solving Ute Water's water supply challenge; 2) identify key <br />issues which will need to be addressed in the planning and permitting process; and 3) develop a <br />management plan for an efficient and streamlined permitting process. <br /> <br />The following stakeholders were contacted during this process: <br /> <br />U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) <br />U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) <br />U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) <br />U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) <br />U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) <br />Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) <br />Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) <br />Colorado Division of Water Resources (CDWR) <br />Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDH) <br />Colorado Historical Society (CHS) <br />Mesa County <br />City of Grand Junction <br />Town of Collbran <br />Town of Palisade <br />Plateau Valley Residents <br />Congressional Representatives <br />Grand Mesa Scenic Byway Committee (GMSBC) <br />Sierra Club <br />Club 20 <br />Audubon Society <br />Trout Unlimited (TV) <br />Colorado Environmental Coalition (CEC) <br />