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  Home Page » News » Water On The Dryside

Water on the Dryside?

Longtimers leery despite plan to take from A-LP

by Dale Rodebaugh
Herald Staff Writer REDMESA - The latest promise of drinking water for this parched southwest corner of La Plata County known as the Dryside could be a mirage similar to the many Pat Greer has seen since he was born here 74 years ago.

"Even if we get water, I don't see a huge rush for development," Greer said Thursday in the farmhouse along County Road 100 that he and his wife, Lila, rebuilt after the original family home burned after being struck by lightning in 1961. His father homesteaded the land in 1903.

"I'll believe water is here when I see it, and the county would have to redo its land-use code that now calls for one house on 35 acres."

Greer was addressing the possible fallout of a La Plata West Water Authority plan announced last week to route water from southwest of Durango to a 250-square-mile area on Fort Lewis Mesa that straddles the north-south axis of Colorado Highway 140. Construction of an intake at a cost of $6 million is scheduled to begin this week at Lake Nighthorse - the reservoir created by the Animas-La Plata Project.

The $6 million is as good as in hand, but the backbone of the project - water-treatment plant, storage tanks and distribution network for up to 3,600 dwellings - will cost an estimated $100 million. Greer's skepticism and wait-and-see attitude is shared by others.

State Sen. Jim Isgar, whose family has land around the Dryside, said it's logical that providing potable water brings growth.

"I won't say water won't intensify growth, but I'd hope it would be directed to areas off irrigated land," Isgar said. "Drinking water would preserve areas where there's irrigation for agriculture."

Isgar said that from a realistic point of view, it will take 10 years to get a distribution system because of the cost.

"We possibly could cash-flow the lateral lines through tap fees," Isgar said. "But we need to get chunks of money for the rest."

Seventy-five percent of the $6 million cost of the intake is from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The tribes received $20 million each when the irrigation component of A-LP was removed. The tribes must spend 75 percent of their so-called "resource funds" on projects with nontribal partners.

Brice Lee, who rehabilitated a failed dryland wheat farm south of Breen almost 50 years ago to establish a cow-calf operation, is president of the Animas La Plata Water Conservancy District board. Drinking water probably will spur growth but it will be slow, he said.

"We (the board) want to preserve what agriculture and irrigation water we have," Lee said. "Whatever growth occurs is going to take a while, maybe in five years but more like 10."

The long view is what La Plata County officials are hearing, county Planning Director Eric Aune said Thursday. At some point, the Dryside will have drinking water, he said.

"We contemplate that someday there will be water on the Westside," Aune said. "It's reasonable to speculate that it could be in 10 years or less, although it could take many more depending on the success of the La Plata West Water Authority's ability to fund the project," Aune said. "The grass-roots leadership from citizens and the authority is commendable."

The current Fort Lewis Mesa district plan addresses the water project and its implications. But Aune recommends that community members decide what level of development they want before water is available.

"Before then, let's establish a dialogue to discuss what it will look like on the ground," Aune said. "There could be speculators who want to develop hundreds of lots, but that is not what we've heard the residents there say they want."

There are two primary schools of thought and everything in between, Aune said.

"One is a rancher of several generations with 500 acres who'll say, 'I respect the environment by ranching. So, I don't want the government imposing regulations that can restrict my potential to develop.'
"The other school of thought is that we need to create reasonable regulations that take into consideration the environment, the beauty of the area and its proximity to Durango and Farmington in order to preserve the quality of life."

Numerous projects have been proposed for getting water to the Dryside, but all have failed.

"We've ended up with zilch," Greer said. "Agriculture here is going downhill."

But agriculture has a hold on him. Greer would consider subdividing some of his property if permitted under a revised land-use code. He calls the acreage his "bank account," but he would part with only small parcels not useful for other purposes in order to maintain the integrity of large, contiguous parcels.

Mark Langford, president of the La Plata West Water Authority, agrees with others that over time the availability of potable water will attract people to the Dryside.

"This is a water-critical area because you can drill for water and not get water," Langford said. "But a central water system won't create a land rush."

daler@durangoherald.com