From The Durango Herald (Dale Rodebaugh):
The 640 commitments gathered in a month – each backed by a deposit of $500 – are encouraging, Mae Morley and Gene Bradley said last week in separate interviews. But nothing concrete will be known until engineers finish a feasibility study, they said. “I’m fifth generation out here,” said Morley, a resident of unincorporated Breen. “The commitments show true need and desire because very few people have abundant well water that is drinkable. There are wells with bad water and there are dry holes. We want drinkable water.” There are an estimated 1,300 property owners and 930 residences in the targeted area, most of them clustered along the La Plata River and Colorado Highway 140 from Breen to Redmesa. Except for a lucky few residents like Morley who has well water good enough to drink (her brother who lives a mile away fills water jugs at her place), well water is used only for bathing and washing dishes and clothes. Potable water is purchased in town or at the Marvel spring.
More San Juan Basin coverage here.