WSP04577

• File Number: 8220.106
• Description: Animas-La Plata
• State: CO
• Basin: San Juan/Dolores
• Water Division: 7
• Date: 11/1/1975
• Title: Animas-La Plata - Southern Ute Indian Municipal and Industrial Water
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

ANIMAS-LA PLATA PROJECT

Southern Ute Indian
Municipal and Industrial Water
"-
The following information prDvides the rationale for determining the
amount of municipal and industrial water that should be included in the
Animas-La Plata Project for developing coal reserves on the Southern Ute
Indian Reservation.

The amount Df water needed to develop coal is dependent upDn the amount of
coal which can be mined. According tD the U~S. Bureau of Mines a "reserve"
is the amount of coal which can be mined under tDdays econDmics and tech-
nology, A coal "resource" is a potentially mineable amount, assuming sig-
nificant future advances in technolDgy. The New Mexico Bureau of Mines
estimated the Southern Ute coal reserves at about 400 million tons in a
report prepared for the Southern Ute Tribal Council in 1973 (attachment 1).
This amount is sufficient tD operate a 3,000 'MW pDwer plant for 35 years
and would require about 55,000 acre-feet annually including contingencies.
The U.S. Bureau of Mines recently reviewed all available data concerning
coal resources on the reservation and estimated the Southern Ute coal
reserves at about 116 milliDn tons which is sufficient coal to Dperate a
1.000 MW power plant for 25 years (attachment 2), Such a plant would re-
quireapproxi~tely 20,000 acre-feet of water per year for the plant and
contingency conditions, The plan at authorization contained 30,000 acre-
feet for the pDtential coal development. The attached cl,g'rent plan map
shows the cDal reserve locations outlined in red.

Shown below are alternative water deliveries of 20,000, 30,000 and 55,000
acre-feet annually and the effect these levels would have on the planning
components pertinent to the Southern Ute Tribe participatiDn in the project.

Level of 'Water Supply
~.OOO 30,000 55,000

So. Utes Estimated Costs
Annual Repayment 11
Annual OM&R 21 -
Total -

1,110.000
60,000 '
1,170,000

2,035,000
110,000
2,145,000

740.000
40,000
780.000

, l49,200

184,400

Effect on Project Dep:l8tion 1/

159.400

II Based on $37 per acre-foot
21 Based on $2 per acre-foot
31 Project depletion at time of authorization was 146,400 acre-feet

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