WSP08437

• File Number: 8220.105.LJ
• Description: Navajo Reservoir
• State: NM
• Basin: San Juan/Dolores
• Date: 12/1/1983
• Title: Draft Hydrologic Determination - December 1983 - Water Availibility from Navajo Reservoir and the Upper Colorado River Basin for Use in New Mexico
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Executive Summary

Determination as to the availability of water under long-term service contracts

for municipal and industrial uses from Navajo Reservoir involve a projection

into the future of estimated water uses and water supplies. On the basis of

hydrologic investigation, water depletions under municipal and industrial

contracts from Navajo Reservoir could reasonably be allowed to rise to 69,000

acre-feet annually through the year 2039.

To avoid a critical compact interpretation, we assume that the Upper Sasin will

be obligated to deliver 75 million acre-feet (MAY) of water every 10 years at

Lee Ferry, plus 750,000 acre-feet annually toward Mexican Treaty deliveries.

This would require an average annual water delivery at Lee Ferry of .at least

8.25 MAY acre-feet. This assumption is not to be considered as an interpreta-

tion of the Upper Sasin obligation for water delivery at Lee Ferry under the

Colorado River Compact. It represents, rather, a practical and conservative

approach for the purposes of the present determination required by section ll(a)

of the Act of June 13, 1962 (Public Law 87-483).

Contracts involving a depletion of 69,000 acre-feet would still leave sufficient

water to meet the 8.25 MAY acre-feet estimated annual delivery requirement at

Lee Ferry. On this basis, we conclude that the projection of water uses now

envisioned in the Upper Sasin by 2040 with the 5.8 MAY depletion level remaining

in effect, including deliveries under interim long-term contracts involving

69,000 acre-feet depletions from Navajo Reservoir will not impair the Upper

Basin's ability to meet its water delivery obligation to the Lower Basin.

We recommend that water availability from Navajo Reservoir be extended beyond

the year 2005 as allowed in subsection (b) of Article III of the Upper Colorado

aiver Compact which permits New Mexico or any other Upper Sasin State to use

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