The foundation has been laid to provide drinking water to the dry western side of La Plata County, but the building blocks needed to complete the system are many, varied and expensive. A couple of dozen skeptical Dryside residents heard the assessment Tuesday evening from La Plata West Water Authority board members Roy Horvath, Tom Brossia, Mae Morley and Kirk Peine.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today joined New Mexico's congressional delegation to advance a vital water supply project that will provide clean, safe and reliable water to a quarter of a million people in the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the city of Gallup, New Mexico.

The ridge-top Hideout Lake development has plans for 374 residential units and an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus golf course, thus adding heat to the debate over Dave Wood Road, a route that follows the path of the famed freight hauler whose name it bears.

Strict, new water standards approved Tuesday by La Plata County commissioners aim to curtail growth where the water supply is inadequate but make a concession to very small subdivisions by permitting them to rely on water being trucked in. The standards apply only to new developments; existing subdivisions are not affected.

Southwestern Water Conservation District board members have approved a $100,000 grant to further a long-standing project to bring drinking water to the Dryside, as southwestern La Plata County is known. The grant, which was approved Monday, will pay for the pursuit of permits, environmental studies and, more importantly, money to build the backbone of a potable-water system, Tom Brossia,

The Intergovernmental Relations Committee of the Navajo Nation Council this week approved a memorandum of understanding between the Navajo Nation and the city of Gallup, thus hurtling one political football into the end zone.

Federal "grass banks" in five Utah counties have been released for emergency grazing as ranchers struggle to feed their livestock after record wildfires and drought. The number of conservation lands to be released and how long cattle can graze will be determined by local managers.

La Plata County Commissioners put on hold a vote to approve new water-supply standards based on concerns that the tougher standards didn't allow new subdivisions of any size to rely on water being trucked in. Instead, commissioners asked county staff to craft a clause that would permit water hauling on a limited basis. They will reconsider the standards at their Sept. 18 meeting.