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002537 1996 Report to the Rio Grande Compact Commission Bureau of Reclamation from the Bernardo Drain to the San Francisco Riverside Drain, The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District discharges most of its flows from the Belen area into the Bernardo Drain, Since.the Bernardo Drain was not capable of handling the additional flows to transport water past San Acacia Diversion Dam, the water was .discharged back to the river. Reclamation rehabilitated approximately 33,000 ft of the San Francisco Riverside Drain in order to increase its capacity to convey flows past San Acacia Diversion Dam, Rio Puerco Sedimentation and Water Quality Study Reclamation released a final report on the reconnaissance phase of the Rio Puerco Sedimentation and Water Quality Study in October 1996. The study concluded that adverse effects of sediment deposition in Elephant Butte Reservoir would not justify development of a major sediment control project in the Rio Puerco Basin at the present time or in foreseeable future. There is some evidence that trace metals and radionuclide contaminants are being transported out of the Rio Puerco Basin. The quantities of contaminants and potential threat to the Rio Grande system are not completely understood, but there is no current indication that they pose a serious problem, As part of the Rio Puerco study, Reclamation joined in an effortwithU,S. Geological Survey, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, and EI Paso County Water Improvement District No, 1 to better characterize the history of contaminant deposition in the sediments of Elephant Butte Reservoir. U.S. Geological Survey collected sediment core samples from the reservoir which will be analyzed for heavy metal, radionuclide, and other contaminants. The core analysis will provide baseline data on the types of contaminants that may be present in the reservoir's sediments. It will also provide an indication of any discernable trends in contaminant deposition and accumulation, Findings of the core sampling study will be published by U.S. Geological Survey in the near future. . In 1996, Congress passed legislation relating to the Rio Puerco watershed (HR 4236 Sec. 401) and the bill has been signed into law. The Act provided for the establishment of a Rio Puerco Management Committee having a broad representation of government agencies, Indian tribes, and members of the public. The Bureau of Land Management is tasked with convening this committee of which Reclamation is to be a member. The Act requires that the Bureau of Land Management and the committee establish a clearinghouse for research and information on management practices in the Rio Puerco Basin, inventory the existing management practices and related monitoring 18