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<br />3592 <br /> <br />THE SAN LUIS VALL~Y PROJECT - CLOSED BASI~ DIVISION <br /> <br />FAcrs AND CONCf:PTS ABOUT THE PROJIiCr <br /> <br />U.S. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION <br /> <br />BACKCROUND <br /> <br />.' <br /> <br />In many areas of the west) the start of a modern agricultural economy was <br />the direct result of Federal Government involvement. Agencies like the <br />Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau) built dams, reservoirs, and canal sYJtems <br />and formed a partnership with the private sector to prOl~ote the national <br />goals of settling and developing the arid west. In the San Luis Valley of <br />Colorado, however, develop~ent was accomplished by individual~ and private <br />companies acting almost coapletely without Federal assistance. <br /> <br />At the present point in time, the San Luis Valley faces a comple)( and dif- <br />ficult situation. This situation has been described by Colorado State <br />University econo~i~ts in the followinR way: <br /> <br />The San Luis Valley stands at the crossroads of its economic future. <br />Because or the existin~ water distribution system in the Valley and the <br />sllperimposed legal syste1n and legal constraint~, a deep insecurity has <br />arisen among the peopl~. Suspicion and economic fear are facts of <br />life. <br /> <br />Pr~9~ntly, the Val1~y is a patchwork of local conservancy districts, <br />ditch companies, drainage districts, water users associations, etc., all <br />interested in protecting their ow~ areas of concern at the e~pense of <br />any other person or group which might be deemed a threat to their <br />interest. The specific conflicting groups primarily break do~n into <br />the Conejos River surface users vs. the "c1osed basin" vs. the rest of <br />the Valley, municipalities vs. Valley water users, the (Closed Basin <br />Project) VB. Subirrlgators, Colorado vs. New Mexico, Texas and the <br />Republic of ~exico, etc. <br /> <br />With the (Bureau of Reclamation Closed Basin Project) beginning, it is <br />possible that there is enough water present in the Valley to fulfill <br />existing water requirements and interstate commitments, without <br />substantially harming the existing pattern of water use in the Valley. <br />But to approach this objective, a spirit of cooperation and trust must <br />be dev~loped . . . ." (quoted fror.l "San Luis Valley Water Problems; A <br />Legal Perspective," by C. E. Radosevich and R. W. Rutz, Colorado State <br />University available as a National Technical. Information Service <br />Reprint (Report No. PB 29591R) U.S. Department of Commerce/Springfield, <br />VA 22161). <br />