The Animas-La Plata Project (ALP), located in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico, in Reclamation’s Upper Colorado Region, has been the subject of substantial public interest and environmental review since its 1968 authorization. Through a combination of best practices and the implementation of a Project Coordination Committee (PCC), Reclamation’s largest construction project now appears to be headed for successful completion in 2012. 

After the update of the Project Construction Cost Estimate in 2003 revealed a cost increase from $338 to $500 million, Reclamation committed to a transparent critique of its internal project management practices. As a result, Reclamation reconfigured its external communications with project stakeholders in order to communicate more effectively.

“Bottom line, the project sponsors deserved a more transparent understanding of the costs and critical decisions associated with building a public works project of this scale,” said Rick Ehat, Project Construction Engineer for the ALP Project. “By maintaining open and honest communication about our work and procedures, the easier it is for the sponsors to understand our issues and provide meaningful input.”

Aerial view of the nearly completed Ridges Basin Dam on Aug. 29, 2007.

Project Sponsors

Bureau of Reclamation

Ute Mountain Ute Tribe

Southern Ute Indian Tribe

Navajo Nation

La Plata Water Conservancy District of New Mexico

San Juan Water Commission

State of Colorado

Colorado Water Resources &
Power Development Authority

Animas-La Plata Water
Conservancy District

“Managing construction projects of this magnitude requires a highly collaborative process,” said Randy Kirkpatrick, Executive Director of the San Juan Water Commission. “It requires close coordination among government agencies at all levels and coordination among sponsors and other stakeholders. Water agencies must have members and staff who can collaborate with others as they are expected to work across disciplines and with the public.”

“The key to the successful transformation of the Project’s Coordination Committee process has been the willingness of the Bureau to share information -- both good and bad -- with the sponsors long before concerns mature into serious problems,” said Scott McElroy, attorney for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. “True cooperation between the sponsors and the Bureau requires both a fully open process on the part of the Bureau and a willingness on the part of the sponsors to recognize that they need to be a part of the problem-solving, not just outside critics. This has not been easy but we and the Bureau have worked hard to approach the issues in this fashion.”

Once completed, the ALP will provide water to fulfill the water rights settlement of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. The Project will also provide 33 percent of the storage in Lake Nighthorse for use by non-Indian entities in the Four Corners region.