| OCR Text |
Show conferences at Santa Fe, finally concluded and signed* on March 18, 193^* a permanent Compact which divides the waters of the Rio Grande, equitably, above Fort Quitman, provides for their better regulation and conservation, and for the importation of waters to the basin from other drainage areas, and also for the recovery of waters from the Closed Basin area in Colorado, which are not now tributary to the Rio Grande. It is believed that this document - consummated after more than ten years of strenuous endet-wor, under the most difficult conditions resulting from long and bitter opposi- tion between the three States, and as a result of an international treaty and previous huge Federal investments in the lower basin - is an outstand- ing example of the ability of States and the Federal Government to adjust the most complicated problems arising out of the use of the waters of an inter state stre anu Briefly, the Rio Grande Compact accomplishes two major purposess (a) It protects the present uses of water in the three sections of the Rio Grande in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas by setting up schedules of required delivery of water by Colorado at the Colorado-New Mexico State line, and by New Mexico at San Marcial, which is just above the Elephant Butte Reservoir, and by fixing the average annual releases from the Elephant ButterRoservoir for the irrigation^ of lands below that reservoir, and for use in Mexico, under the provisions of the international treaty. (b) It permits the construction and operation of additional reservoirs in the basin above Elephant Butt© Reservoir, for the purpose of regulating stream riow used at the present time (1939)$ and £°r capturing and maiding usable th© water in the Upper Rio Grande Basin, which otherwise would spill from the Elephant Butte Reservoir and be lost* The schedules of water deliveries are based upon the relation found to exist between the annual inflow into, and the outflow from, the San Luis Valley in Colorado for the years 1928 to 1937, both inclusive, and the rela- tion between the flow at Otowi Bridge in Northern New Mexico and the flow at San Marcial for all years of record prior to 1930 (pre-middle Rio Grande Conservancy District period). The ColoradorNew Mexico State-line schedule of water deliveries is di- vided into two parts, one applying to the Conejos stream system, which is the largest tributary to the Rio Grande in Colorado, and the other to the Rio Grande proper above the Colorado-New Mexico State line. Required de- liveries by the State of Colorado are taken as the sum of the required de- liveries by the Conejos River System and by the Rio Grande proper, less 10,000 aore-feet annually. This schedule of deliveries will permit the use of water in Colorado which has been in force since the early Eighties* and will also permit the construction of large regulatory reservoirs in Colo- rado to me.ke the seasonal stream flow more nearly parallel to the seasonal crop requirements and the elimination of distortion which has existed be- tween these two natural factors in past years. Deliveries of water in exact accordance with the schedules are not required on an annual basis. The Compaot provides for a system of accounting whereby deviations -118- |
