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<br />--.",.~'". <br /> <br />22 <br /> <br />co <br />l..rj <br />~ for administration of water laws and distribution of water in the San Luis <br />y~ <br />;; Valley, the organizations range from public entities to the private com- <br />.-' <br /> <br />panies holding water rights for irrigators in the Valley. A brief descrip- <br />tion of these legal entities may be helpful in understanding the problems <br />in the San Luis Va11ey.29 They are: <br />1. Rio Grande Water Conservation District (37-48-101, et. seg., CRS 1973.) <br />As a result of the litigation of 1966 involving the states of Texas, <br />New Mexico and Colorado, residents of the San Luis Valley felt they needed <br />a valley-wide conservation district which would represent them in the <br />litigation and also assist them directly in their water problems. In <br />response, the general assembly authorized the formation of the Rio Grande <br />Water Conservation District in 1967. The district works with the Colorado <br /> <br />Water Conservation Board and makes recommendations to that Board. The Rio <br /> <br />Grande Water Conservation District promotes water resource development <br />within the San Luis Valley, determines water policy, may own water, coor- <br />dinates legal and engineering matters affecting the San Luis Valley, and <br />assists in developing projects with the Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />and the federal government. The Colorado Water Conservation Board acts as <br />the planning and policy agent for the state on both interstate and intra- <br />state matters. Theoretically it serves as Colorado's official contact <br /> <br />with the federal government and other states. <br />2. Water Conservancy Districts (37-45-101, et. seg., CRS 1973.) <br /> <br />Water conservancy districts are instrumentalities of the state government <br />designed to create an entity large enough to tax and finance fairly large <br /> <br />29Some of this material has been condensed from Colorado Water Law <br />Practice, published by the University of Denver, College of Law, for its <br />Program of Advanced Professional Development, 1976. <br />