WSP08819

• File Number: 8583
• Description: Rio Grande Decision Support System
• State: CO
• Basin: Rio Grande
• Water Division: 3
• Date: 3/1/1996
• Author: Dept of the Interior
• Title: 1996 Calendar Year Report to the Rio Grande Compact Commission
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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002541
1996 Report to the Rio Grande Compact Commission

Bureau of Reclamation

Resources Division in Denver, Colorado, will continue to take part in this procedure
as it evolves.

Texas. In September 1996, there was a request by many of the parties,
including Reclamation, EI Paso County Water Improvement District No.1, and the City
of EI Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board, to dismiss or, in the alternative, abate
the administrative adjudication before the State Office of Administrative Hearings so
that a unified adjudication of water rights within the Rio Grande Project might be
obtained. The administrative process was abated pending the outcome of the hearing
in New Mexico (refer to, the above information on the February 4 hearing). At this
time, the solicitors from the Departments of Justice and Interior are preparing a
briefing on jurisdictional issues for the Texas Natural Resource Conservation
Commission, due March 31, 1997.

Elephant Butte Reservoir and Powerplant

Elephant Butte Reservoir reached a high storage of 2,045,290 af, at elevation
4,406.46 ft, on January 2, 1996. This temporarily exceeded the winter storage limit
of 2,040,000 af imposed by Reclamation as prudent operational control space:

Net power generation for 1996 was 91,385,340 million kilowatt-hours which was
126-percent of the 57-year average (1940 through 1996) of 72.5 million kilowatt-
hours.

Cooperative Vegetation Management Program

For 37 years, Reclamation and the State of New Mexico have cooperatively controlled'
vegetation on 11,200 acres of selected floodplain of Elephant Butte and Caballo
Reservoirs. The currently proposed inter-governmental agreement Is for $110,000 of
which each agency provides half. In addition, the State has contributed all equipment
used in the vegetation management program. Mowing has been the main method of
reducing vegetative growth, Maintenance of saltcedar regrowth is restricted to
previously cleared floodplain sites; clearing of wood phreatophytes on new floodplain
sites is not permitted under the program.

Caballo Dam and Reservoir

Caballo Reservoir was filled to a high storage of 223,790 af, at elevation 4,171.61 ft,
on February 20, 23, and .27,' 1996, According to Court Order No. CIV-90-95
HB/WWD, which resulted from negotiated settlement with Elephant Butte Irrigation

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