(DURANGO, CO) - The Bureau of Reclamation announced today that it will host public meetings in Durango, Colo., and Aztec, N.M. on Friday, December 19, to discuss its recently released construction cost estimate report for the Animas-La Plata Project. The meetings will provide attendees with information on the status of construction for the Animas-La Plata Project and an overview of the construction cost estimate report.

The first public meeting will occur on Friday, December 19 in Durango, Colo., between the hours of 10 a.m. and 12:00 noon, in the Florida Room at the La Plata County Fairgrounds which is located at 2500 Main Avenue in Durango, Colo. A second public meeting will occur later in the day in Aztec, NM, between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., at the San Juan County Commission Chambers that is located at 100 South Oliver Street in Aztec, N.M.

Additional information on both public meetings may be obtained by contacting Barry Wirth with the Bureau of Reclamation's Upper Colorado Regional Office at (801) 524-3774.

The Animas-La Plata Project achieves the purposes of the 1988 Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act and the Colorado Ute Settlement Act Amendment of 2000. The project will provide the Southern Ute Indian and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes with a reliable water supply for their future needs, while protecting scarce water resources for existing water users in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The Project will also provide municipal and industrial water to non-Indian stakeholders in the Four Corners area.