WSP07579

• File Number: 8220.106
• Description: Animas-La Plata
• State: CO
• Basin: San Juan/Dolores
• Water Division: 7
• Date: 5/1/1985
• Author: BOR
• Title: Animas-La Plata Project
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Project Overview

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ANIMAS, LA PLATA PROJECT--COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO

Introduction

The Animas"La Plata Project would be located in the Upper
Colorado River Basin in La Plata And Montezuma Counties of
southwestern Colorado and San Juan County of northwestern New
Mexico. The Congress authorized it as a participating project in
the Colorado River Storage Project.

Project Objectives

The project would be a multiple-purpose water resource
development. Municipal and industrial water would be furnished
to Durango and to the rural La Plata area in Colorado and to
Farmington, Aztec, Bloomfield and several smaller communities, as
well as the Navajo Tribe in New Mexico. The Southern Ute and Ute
Mountain Ute Indian Tribes would receive industrial water
p.imarily for the development of coal resources on their
reservations. The project would provide water for the irrigation
of Indian and non-Indian farmland in the La Plata and Mancos
River drainages, and opportunities would be made for recreation
at project reservoirs A program for developing land for
wildlife would compensate for wildlife losses at both reservoirs,
and a program would be instituted to collect and preserve
cultural resources. Project construction would take about ten
years

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Proposed Plan

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Located southwest of Durango, RIDGES BASIN RESERVOIR, one of two
offstream project reservoirs, would store water pumped from the
Animas River by the DURANGO PUMPING PLANT. Reservoir releases
would be made as necessary back to the Animas River for New
Mexico's municipal and industrial users downstream and to
supplement DURANGO PUMPING PLANT flows to the DURANGO MUNICIPAL
AND INDUSTRIAL PIPELINE, connecting with the city's water-storage
reservoir Water pumped by RIDGES BASIN PUMPING PLANT, to be
located on the western edge of the reservoir, would be conveyed
in the SOUTH DURANGO WATER DISTRICT MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL
PIPELINE to water users in that district. Part of the Southern
Ute and Ute llountain Ute Indian Tribes' project water and
irrigation water for Colorado farmers and municipal and.
industrial water users would be stored in RIDGES BASIN RESERVOIR
and conveyed through the DRY SIDE CANAL and LONG HOLLOW TUNNEL.
Water would be pumped to the DRY SIDE CANAL from RIDGES BASIN
PUMPING PLAN~. The canal would carry water west to project land
in the La Plata'and Mancos River drainages and to the canal's
terminus for the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe's industrial use.
Water from the La Plata River could be diverted into the DRY SIDE
CANAL during spring runoff by the LA PLATA DIVERSION DAM or
continue to flow downstream SOU"HERN UTE RESERVOIR storing

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