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. r- (., ) ,.-j .,...j C.~) Irrigation ditches, which intersect the conveyance channel alinement, cross underneath it through siphon structures. Box culverts and siphons will provide channel crossings at the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, at U.S. Highway 160, and at county road intersections. A guaging station, used to measure flow and v,.lume of the water, is located just north of U.S. Highway 160. The channel is fenced on both sides to prevent livestock damage to its banks and to guard against livestock drowniIlg~. The channel empties into the Rio Grande downstream of the New Ditch Diversion on the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge. The conveyance channel will be connected to the San Luis Lake by means of a turn- out on the lake's northwest side. A pumping plant on the southwest side will provide a "flow-thru" system in the lake. Water from the project will be used to stabilize the la,ke at a surface area of about 890 acres. MONITORING Water Table The law authorizing the Closed Basin Division provides for a number of con- ditions in the sump area of the Closed Basin. Perhaps most important is the law's provision that development and operation of the project must not create an adverse effect on the lands surrounding the project area. The Reclamation Project Authorization Act of 1972 (Public Law 92-514) states: "The Secretary shall operate project facilities in a manner that will not cause the water table available for any irrigation or domestic wells in existence prior to the construction of the pro- ject to drop more than two feet and in a manner that will not cause reduction of artesian flows in existence prior to the construction of the project." Therefore, regular and consistent monitoring of the water table is necessary. This is done through the use of observation wells. Groundwater levels are measured at one- and three- month intervals by the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, the United States Geological Survey, and the Bureau of Reclamation. There are more than 300 observation wells in and around the project area. Future plans call for a continuous monitoring system of wells thru a Project Automated Control System. This system will use censors placed inside the wells to monitor readings. The readings can then be transmitted to the office via radio waves. These measurements are available to the public, and are published in local newspapers. An example of a Bureau of Reclamation quarterly water table reading is furnished on the following page. !' -10- C' -