Forty years ago, a contract between Cortez and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe settled on water delivery from McPhee Reservoir. That agreement is coming to an end, however, and new talks are on the horizon.
That water travels through the Dolores Tunnel to the Cortez Water Treatment Plant. After treatment, a 21-mile pipeline takes water to the tribe, and Cortez bills the tribe annually for the treatment services.
On Tuesday, Cortez City Manager Drew Sanders told the mayor and City Council that discussions with the tribe about a new contract are beginning. The contract used for the past 40 years is set to expire in a year and a half, he said.
“An updated more modern contract is definitely needed,” Sanders said. “The tribe and the city are working together to draft a new contract that will hopefully be in place for the next 10 to 20 years, and we are looking for ways to improve our water delivery system.”
Sanders said that Cortez’s water delivery system for the tribe needs improvements.
“The water line is so long – 21 miles – that there can be an aging issue with the water, and it's not up to standard by the time it reaches the end point.”
In November 2024, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe received $7.5 million to help replace the aging pipeline, with funds from the Inflation Reduction Act’s Tribal Domestic Water Supply Program.
Sanders said the tribe is in talks with officials from the water treatment plant to address this issue, bringing such concerns about water standards into the negotiations ahead.
