Two weeks ago, La Plata Archuleta Water District said it would not provide water to Ignacio unless the town addressed two conditions, temporarily putting Ignacio’s hopes for cheaper water utility rates on hold.
Ignacio town officials have been searching for an alternative water utility provider because the town’s water provider, Southern Ute Utilities Division, is set to increase water rates by 94% on Oct. 1.
LAPLAWD, a water district established in 2008, sent the town a letter saying that, while the district had the capacity to serve the town, it had concerns from a “political standpoint.” At the Aug. 19 town board meeting, Ignacio trustees planned to re-approach the LAPLAWD board in September.
“We’re looking for alternatives, and it’s frustrating that there’s potential issues that prohibit us from accessing other water sources,” said Mark Garcia, interim town manager. “We’re gonna pursue all that we need to to try to find a water source.”
The water district encompasses about 400 square miles in southeastern La Plata County, excluding Bayfield and Ignacio. It provides potable public water and fire protection water in an area without viable wells or sufficient water quality, conditions which force many residents to haul water for domestic use, according to the district website.
In a letter to Garcia, LAPLAWD said its primary concern with supplying water to the town was tribal trust land easements. Its secondary concern was unaccounted-for water in the town’s water system.
“If the tribe, one, didn’t object to us providing service to (Ignacio), and, two, if (the town) did check into their water situation, then I think my board would be willing to reconsider,” said Edward Tolen, LAPLAWD general manager. “I can’t say whether they would say yes or no.”In the letter, Tolen wrote that there are substantial tribal trust lands within district boundaries that the district would need to cross. The district has completed 30 out of about 250 miles of piping, he said in an interview. To reach its existing service area, which does not include Ignacio, LAPLAWD would have to cross tribal trust lands in about 10 to 15 places.
“From a political standpoint, this could pose potential problems for the district if the tribe objected to our providing the town with treated water,” Tolen wrote in the letter.
Tribal trust land is land that has been set aside for the exclusive use and benefit of tribes, in this case the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. The land is owned by the United States in trust for the tribe. The tribe may use, lease, mortgage or sell its interests in this land only if the federal government consents, according to the SUIT website.
Easement decisions would probably be on a case-by-case basis, Garcia said. “The easement might be through a sensitive area. It might be through an area where they don’t want any development at all. I don’t know how (the tribe) might respond.”
The tribe did not immediately provide a comment on this issue.
The LAPLAWD board also wanted to understand Ignacio’s unaccounted-for water before any future discussions.
When LAPLAWD looked at the town’s water quantities, it looked like the town was buying more water from the tribe than it was selling to residents and businesses, Tolen said. This discrepancy could be a result of inaccurate meters or leaking pipes.
“At times, water in Southwest Colorado is very limited. We want to make sure the water we use is used for customers and not unaccounted for,” Tolen said. “We’re concerned primarily if it’s leaks that aren’t being repaired. We don’t want to lose water because it’s such a valuable resource.”
The town system loses upward of 20% of the water it purchases, which is not unusual compared to other water utilities, Garcia said. A 2018 Utah State University study of 200 water systems puts average water loss because of leakage at 10%, but a 2008 American Water Works written manual places the number around 16%.
The town has not funded significant leak detection in five years but is conducting repairs on its water infrastructure, Garcia said. The town would absolutely be able to address this concern and would budget for leak detection after completing the repair projects, he said.
The town is not on the LAPLAWD board’s September meeting agenda yet, but Garcia feels “optimistic” about further discussions.
“We’d like to meet with them and see if there’s any way we can work towards a water supply for us,” Garcia said.
smullane@durangoherald.com