Letter to The Honorable Byron Dorgan, Chairman, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

Letter

Udall, Bennet Urge Action on Bill to Rehabilitate Pine River Indian Irrigation Project

Bill Would Help Southern Ute Tribe Make Critical Improvements to Neglected Irrigation and Flood Control Project

Today, U.S. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet announced they have sent a letter requesting that the Senate Indian Affairs Committee take action as soon as possible on a bill to make significant repairs and rehabilitation to the Pine River Indian Irrigation Project. The Senators introduced the bill in June, and it must get a hearing in order to move forward.

In their letter to Senator Byron Dorgan, Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, the Senators say the Pine River Irrigation Project is critical to ensure that the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and other Southwestern Colorado residents have access to adequate water supplies.

The Pine River Indian Irrigation Project was first created by Congress in 1936 to provide water for approximately 13,000 acres of land in Southwest Colorado, protecting the region from spring floods and summer droughts. Today, the demand and need for a quality water delivery system has never been greater, yet the Pine River Irrigation Project hasn't been able to keep up.

"Years of neglect and inadequate funding have taken their toll, and the Pine River Indian Irrigation Project is now in serious decay and can no longer reliably deliver water to Coloradans," Senator Udall said. "Our bill would ensure the federal government can fulfill its responsibility so that both Indian and non-Indian residents can have access to the water they need when they need it. I'm hopeful we can schedule a hearing as soon as possible and move this legislation forward."

"Southwestern Coloradans should never have to worry about their water supply. The federal government has neglected this project for too long, leaving the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and other residents with a decaying water delivery system," Senator Bennet said. "Washington shouldn't delay on this much-needed, common-sense legislation that will make sure Colorado residents have reliable access to water."

The following is a copy of the letter to Senator Dorgan:

September 29, 2009

The Honorable Byron Dorgan
Chairman
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
838 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chairman Dorgan,

On June 15, we introduced S. 1264, a bill to authorize much needed infrastructure improvements to the Pine River Indian Irrigation Project, which serves the Southern Ute Indian Tribe of Southwestern Colorado.

Specifically, the bill would require the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to assess the irrigation infrastructure of the project, which is in serious decay and fails to reliably deliver water to users. It also calls for grants and cooperative agreements, in partnership with the Southern Ute Tribe, to assess, repair, rehabilitate or reconstruct the existing infrastructure.

We are writing to request that a hearing on this bill be scheduled by the Committee on Indian Affairs as soon as practicable. Thank you for your consideration of our request. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us, or the staff of Senator Udall or Senator Bennet.

Sincerely,

Mark Udall
Michael F. Bennet

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