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3606 15 INFORMATION FOR LANDOWNERS AFFEcrED BY THE CLOSED BASIN DIVISION SMI LUIS VALLEY PROJECT COLORADO 1. What is the Closed Basin Division, San Luis Valley Project? The Closed Basin Division, often called the Closed Basin Project, is a multipurpose water resource development in southern Colorado. It was authorized by Congress on October 20, 1972, under Public Law 92-514 and is to be constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Interio~. 2. What is the Bureau of Reclamation? The Bureau is an agency of the United States Department of the Interior created by Congress in 1902 to develop water resources of the 17 Western States in cooperation with local interests. During the last 79 years, the Bureau has developed over 150 multipurpose water projects. These projects furnish water to over 11.4 million acres of irrigated land plus municipal and industrial (M&I) water for urban areas with an aggregate population of nearly 19 million. 'Generating plants at 50 Bureau dams are capable of furnishing more than 10.4 million kilowatts of electrical power. In addition, these same projects provide flood control benefits, public recreation areas, and protection and enhancement of fish and wildlife resources. 3. What Purpose will the Closed Basin Project Serve? It is designed to salvage a portion of the groundwater now mostly wasted by evaporation. The water will be pumped and delivered by conveyance channel for discharge into the Rio Grande southeast of Alamosa, Colorado. Delivery of this water will assist the State of Colorado in meeting its commitments for water deliveries to the States of New Mexico and Texas under the Rio Grande Compact and will also assist the United States in meeting its commitments to Mexico under the Rio Grande Convention of 1906. The project will also provide fish and wildlife enhancement by water deliveries to the Alamosa National wildlife Refuge, establishment of an additional Wildlife Refuge and stabilization of the water level in San Luis Lake. 4. What are the "Vital Statistics" of the Project? The project is scheduled for development in stages over a 10-year period. During this time, about 170 water wells will be drilled with an estimated, 100 miles of buried pipeline delivering water to the conveyance channel. The conveyance channel will be approximately 42 miles long and has the capability to deliver approximately 100,000 acre-feet of water annually to the Rio Grande.