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<br />;"":i;' THE DURANGO HEIlALD!\'f' "r Thunday, May 10, 1900
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<br />Af.irllas:U'Platt Timetable
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<br />>'.:- .
<br />Here j~ a "history of th~ controversial Animas-La Plata water
<br />project:
<br />1904: The first ~fficial study by the U.S. Reclamation Senrice on a
<br />plan to store water from the Animas River and use it for~griculture.
<br />1915, 1917 and 1924: Periodic updates are done on the initial
<br />plans, one of which called for a reservoir three miles north of Dur-
<br />ango and diverting water through a 38-mile canal to a reservoir on
<br />the La Plata River near the New Mexico border.
<br />1938: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation opens an office in Durango to
<br />study the project. It n~mains today.
<br />1956: Congress. througb the Colorado River Storage Act, author-
<br />izes a feasibility study of the Animas-La Plata project.
<br />1962: The bureau finds the project to be "engineeringly sound
<br />and financially sound and feasible."The next year, it recommends to
<br />Congress tbat the project be authorized with a S I 02 million price tag.
<br />1968: Congress authorizes the project, consisting of Howardsville
<br />.reservoir near Silvenon, Hay Gulch reservoir 25 miles west of Our.
<br />ango.. Animas Mountain reservoir' to senoice Durango, Meadows
<br />reservoir, 48 miles,.~f canals and-tunnels and a diversion of the
<br />.Animas River at Taft; halfway betWeen Silvenon and Durango. This
<br />grandiose engineering scheme, a supponer said years later. "would
<br />have been an environmental Wsaster.1t '.':. ' .
<br />I _ 1973: Congress appropriatcs fumb for advance studies. ,'..
<br />. '1974-77: Advisory team of state, federal and local offIcials consid.
<br />. en about 30 alternate plans for the project. "~.
<br />January 1979: A group to be known as TaXpayers for the Animas-
<br />. La Plata Referendum, or TAR, organizes to fight fonnation of a
<br />- taxing district without an election and kill the project itself.
<br />. September 1979: The definitive plan report, detailing the project's
<br />new configuration of Ridges Basin and Southern Ute reservoirs, is
<br />completed by the Interior Department ;'Wl" ,.
<br />Joly 1980: The fmal environmental impaa statement addresses
<br />me project. "./':;
<br />March 1981: District judge orders the formation of the Animas--La
<br />Plata Water conservancy District. deciding a long legal battle by
<br />projeaopponent TAR over whether to have the question of a district
<br />placed before the voters. The decision is appealed, but state legisla-
<br />tion ~es the case mooL . ,,:'l,,{1 ,"
<br />Man:b.1982: The water district approves a repayment contract for
<br />the project. but the wheels are turning in Washington for cost.
<br />sharing, which eventuaUy voids this cpntract.
<br />August 1985: Formal talks begin on cost sharing. as feder:al. state,
<br />local and tn'bal offtcials negotiate who will put up the money to build
<br />the project.
<br />July 1986: The Interior Department accepts a cost-sharing ar-
<br />rangement that calls for state and local. entities to provide some 38
<br />percent of the upfront funding. Just as importantly, it splits the
<br />project ir. ["'0. purting some mal?r components on hold.
<br />December 1986: The Colorotdo Ute indian Water Rights Se~tle.
<br />ment agreement is signed- in Denver. Utes agree to drop claims on
<br />Sanjuan Basin streams in exchange for water in the Animas-La Plata
<br />project and about $60 million in economic development funds.
<br />Dec. 8, 1987: Voters in Durango approve the repayment contcict:
<br />and lOcals prepare for the long~awaited project start.
<br />February 1990: The U.s. Fish and Wildlife Senrice announces it is
<br />studying the project to detennine its impact on endangered fish.
<br />Meanwhile, voters in San Juan County, N.M., approve their repay-
<br />ment contract. .
<br />May 8, 1990: The Fish and Wildlife Service calls for a seven-year
<br />study of the project to measure its impact on the endangered S<luaw-
<br />fISh. halting the project.
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