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~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ I. THE RIO GRANDE RIVER AND COLORADO'S COMMITMENTS THEREUNDER C) 3 A. Short History Surface irrigation in the San Luis Valley began in the early 1850's and today the People's Ditch, one of the earliest constructed with the priority date of April 10, 1852, is the oldest ditch in continuous use in the state of Colorado. 1 However, extensive irrigation did not develop until the period from 1880 to 1890, when the ditch system constituting the present day surface water distribution network was constructed.2 Today, approx- imately 500,000 acres of irrigated land receive water from ditch or well pumping systems. But along with the surface water development within the San Luis Valley, serious conflicts developed among Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and the Re- public of Mexico. As diversions of water increased in Colorado, shortages began developing down river. In an effort to restrict further development, the Department of Interior on December 5, 1896, stopped granting rights- of-way over public lands for the construction of reservoirs. A decade later on May 21, 1906, the United States and the Republic of Mexico signed a treaty which provided 60,000 acre feet of water a year to the Republic of Mexico. To meet this commitment, the United States in 1916 constructed the Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico with a storage capacity of 2,600,000 acre feet. But even after construction of the re- servoir, it was another nine years until Colorado was successful in having 1For interesting reading on the early history of the San Luis Valley, see: Bean, L.C., Land of the Blue Sky People, Ye Olde Print Shop, Alamosa, Colorado, 1975 and Spencer, F.C., The Story of the San Luis Valley, San Luis Valley Historical Society, Alamosa, 1975. 2Smiley, et al., Semi-Centennial History of the State of Colorado, Vol. I, Lewis Publishing Company, New York, 1913.