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Show fore any attempt is made to redistribute water rights in a locality, all possible effort should be made to rehabilitate and reclaim waterlogged and deterio- rated lands. Also, care should be exercised to pre- vent deterioration of land by improper and excessive water use. In the event that it is evident that an adjustment is desirable the people themselves should undertake necessary action. In all cases where there is to be a federally con- structed project, there must be a suitable local organization with which to deal. Such organiza- tions, either as irrigation or conservancy districts, could acquire submarginal lands and retire them from cultivation and allow the water to be used on better lands or for higher uses in their vicinity. Further coordination of the educational and techni- cal services of the Federal agencies concerned with those of State and local groups should be sought. The entire matter would require careful coordina- tion. B. The Character of Development 1. The Effect of State Water Laws, Rights, Inter- state Compacts, and Interstate Cooperation on Water Resources Development The Problem What measures are required in the necessary ap- plication of State water laws, water rights, inter- state compacts, and interstate cooperation in water resources development? The Situation Careful control and conservation of the limited water resources of the semiarid Rio Grande Basin are basic to the economic welfare of the people of the area. The realization of the importance of such measures by both the United States and Mexico, nationally, by the States of Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, and by local interests has resulted in the construction of extensive improvements for irriga- tion, flood control, channel rectification, production of hydroelectric power, and other beneficial pur- poses over a long period. Existing improvements have been provided by the International Boundary and Water Commission, Bureau of Reclamation, Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, and by private interests. 324 In operating projects it became increasingly evi- dent, owing to the scarcity of water in the area, that regulatory measures were necessary to remove conditions conducive to controversy concerning the equitable apportionment of available waters. Ac- cordingly, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas con- cluded a legal agreement for the attainment of that purpose. The Rio Grande Compact was confirmed by Congress and became effective on May 31, 1939. The compact defines the rights of each State to water and accounts for stream flow and water use by each State in accordance with those rights. Definite schedules, which vary with the annual water yield, are established for delivery of annual volumes of water at key points in the Rio Grande Basin and divergence from those schedules is ac- counted for as "debits" or "credits." Debits arise from failure to deliver the scheduled supply of water by any State and impose certain restrictions on that State's use of water. Credits for any State are cre- ated by delivery of water at key points in excess of that required by schedules and confer on that State further rights for use of water. The effect of future application of State water laws, water rights, and interstate compacts on water resources development programs is demonstrated by the following examples: The San Luis Valley Project.-The Platoro Res- ervoir on the Conejos River will necessarily be re- stricted in its operation for fish and wildlife func- tions since, under the terms of the Rio Grande Compact, irrigation and other uses have primary rights to the water. Middle Rio Grande Project.-In the case of the Middle Rio Grande Project, which was formulated cooperatively by the Federal, State, and local agen- cies, the representatives of Colorado and Texas were apprehensive of the effect of the flood control and possible future power provisions in the Chamita and Chiflo Reservoir Projects, on the apportionment of the waters as provided by the compact. Such ap- prehension is indicated in letters from the Governors of Colorado and Texas to the Secretary of the Army.1 This situation resulted in Congress' defer- ring the authorization of proposed spillway gate provisions in the Chamita Dam and excluding the Chiflo Reservoir from the plan without prejudice to subsequent consideration of the project. The Chiflo Reservoir is a principal unit of the multiple- purpose plan for flood control and related purposes in the Middle Rio Grande. *H. Doc. No. 243, 81st Cong., 1st sess. (1949). |