WSP11716

• File Number: 8507
• Description: Rio Grande Project
• State: CO
• Basin: Rio Grande
• Date: 7/1/1997
• Title: Water Management Study: Upper Rio Grande Basin part 1
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

Water Management Study: Upper Rio Grande Basin

4. Federal Agencies

Three federal agencies have a predominant role in the Basin's management
of water and related resources.7 The International Boundary and Water
Commission (IBWC), or its predecessor, has existed since 1890 and, among
other things, ensures the delivery of water to Mexico pursuant to the Treaty
of 1906. The Army Corps of Engineers (CoE) has primary responsibility for
flood control, operates several dams, and maintains levees in the Middle Rio
Grande Valley. The Bureau of Reclamation (BuRec) has been involved in the
Basin since soon after passage of the Reclamation Act of 1902 and has four
major projects in the Basin. The Rio Grande Project extends from Ft.
Quitman north to Elephant Butte Reservoir. The Middle Rio Grande Project
is concentrated in the reach from Elephant Butte Reservoir north to Cochiti
Dam, but it also includes some activities and facilities further north. The
San Juan-Chama Project includes facilities that divert water from the San
Juan River, transport it to the Chama River Basin, and store it in Heron
Reservoir. The Closed Basin Project consists of wells and a canal to collect
groundwater from the Closed Basin aquifer and deliver it to the Rio Grande.
Table 1.2 lists each agency's major activities, projects, and facilities. More
information is provided in appendix A.

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D. Focus on Instream-Flow Issues

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Much of the concern over resource management in the Basin manifests itself
as a debate over instream flows. Immediate concern often focuses on the
Endangered Species Act and its repercussions on instream flows or the
provision of recreational opportunities for urban residents. The more
fundamental, underlying concern centers on protecting the ecological health
of watersheds and aquatic ecosystems that are crucial to the sustainable use

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7 We focus on water-management agencies. Other agencies whose programs affect water
and related resources in the Basin include: the Environmental Protection Agency (which
administers the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act, Superfund, and National Environmental Policy Act); the Department of Housing
and Urhan Development (Community Development Block Grants); U.S. Geological Survey
(earth science data collection and interpretive studies); Federal Emergency Management
Agency (emergency response and flood insurance); Natural Resources Conservation Service;
Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (Conservation Reserve Program and
Agricultural Conservation Programs); Fanners Home Administration; U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service (Endangered Species Act and National Wildlife Refuges); and National Park Service
(Big Bend National Park and Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River).

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