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- ,-~~-,;:;.~)'-';- 28 "d" cJ:> "d'i T..j <:;;> (.~ government. The state engineer has to consider water rights existing at that time in dividing Colorado's portion of water in the Rio Grande. All water rights acquired after that date are limited to nonallocated flows of the river in Colorado. In addition to problems associated with surface diversions and meeting compact requirements, another problem emerged with the proliferation of wells in the valley. Water is pumped from at least three identifiable ground water sources. A hydrologic divide north of the Rio Grande forms a closed basin so that water in an unconfined aquifer does not return to the river system. . There is also another shallow unconfined aquifer through- out the Valley that is hydraulically connected to the surface streams. And finally there is a deep confined aquifer. It is alleged that water users who are irrigating in the closed basin areas and withdrawing from the unconfined aquifer are causing the water table within the Conejos River portion of the valley to be lowered. This is a point of real controversy and it contributed to the issuing of rules and regulations by the State Engineer and to the 1 itigation subsequently di scussed. To meet the compact requirements as agreed in the 1967 stipulation, until 1974, each year the State Engineer negotiated with local interests in the Valley to establish operating criteria for administering surface and groundwaters of the Rio Grande and Conejos Rivers.31 The meetings in the early 1970s began to involve opposition by certain Valley residents to the Closed Basin Project.32 Finally on December 4, 1973, in order to assist the discussion of the problem in the Valley the State Engineer held 31See Appendix A for the Operating Criteria established for 1974. 32Interview with Mr. Clarence Kuiper, State Engineer for Colorado, on December 21, 1976, in Denver, Colorado.