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<br />------- <br /> <br />,-,_.', <br /> <br />"~ <br />."\t <br />,~ <br />N <br />,......) <br />~:.l <br /> <br />and its tributary, the San Antonio River. Howver, some rehabilitation of <br />these works is needed and it is proposed'that these, as found necessary, be <br />lllade by the D istri ct. <br /> <br />14.. The San Luis Valley Projeot,of which the first stage of the <br />Conejos Division is proposed for' initial construction, is a necessary feature <br />of a major water utilization program designed to synchronize and coordinate <br />the available water supply in the entire Rio Grande Basin above El Paso, <br />Texas. storage on the Conejos River is an essential part of the program made <br />possible by adjustment of the international and interstate disputes which <br />'have prevented the logiCal developmentof,conservation works on the Rio <br />Grande and tributaries for a period of more ,than 50 years. <br /> <br />Need for Facilities <br /> <br />15. Storage facilities for regulating the flows of the Conejos River <br />are urgently needed to permit greater and more intensive land use and to <br />establish a higher and more stable farm income in the area according to the <br />1945 Census of Agriculture, farm products valued at less than $1,000 were <br />produced on forty...t"ive percent of the 793 farms classified in Conejos County. <br />For 25..3 percent of the farms, the value of farm products was less than $250 <br />per farm. Similar data for 19~ are even more impressive. Although this <br />low income is attributable in part to small holdings whose owners have off- <br />farm income in addition to that earned from the fal'lll, the principal cause <br />is the lack of a dependable water supply. <br /> <br />Authorized Plan <br /> <br />16. The plan of development for the Conejos Division wall presented in <br />House Dooument' No" 693, provided for the oonstruotion of, two reservoirs <br />(the Platoro with a capacity 01' 70,000 aore_feet and the Magote with a <br />capacity 01' :30,000 acre";feet) with the"costs allooated 60 percent to irriga- <br />tion and 40 percent to flood oontrol.. :,.However, House Dooument No. 693, on <br />page 1, states "Prior to construction on the Conejos Unit, further investi- <br />gations should be made to ascertain the desirability of substituting a <br />single main-stream reservoir on its lower reaches for the two reservoirs as <br />better regulation will result. Present data are inadequate for a final <br />decision." Exhaustive studies have shown conclusively that a single main- <br />stream reservoir cannot be constructed on the lower reaohes and is not as <br />desirable as the two-reservoir plan presented in House Document No. 693. <br /> <br />17. The change from present land use practices to the more intensi VEl <br />cropping~pattern anticipated with full project development will be gradual <br />over a period of years and present high construction costs indicate that <br />stage development is desirable. In the first stage of the program for the <br />regulation of the waters of the Conejos River for maximum utilization it is <br />proposed to construct the Platoro Reservoir, with a capacity of 60,000 acre- <br />feet, formed by an earthfill type of dam 144 feet high. A reservoir of this <br />capacity will provide the greatest benefits at the least cost and will suffice <br />for the immediate irrigation needs of the District. <br /> <br />18. The additions;!. reservoir capao;l.ty neoessary for the maximum <br /> <br />4 <br />