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<br />co <br />'~ <br />!:'- <br />N <br />o <br />o <br /> <br />by water rights administration of the Conejos Basin. Therefore, consideration <br /> <br />of water rights administration in this study focused on mainstem water rights. <br /> <br />There are approximately 310 water rights on the mainstem of the Rio Grande which <br /> <br />affect the legal water availability at an upstream potential reservoir site. <br /> <br />Approximately 70 percent of the mainstem diversions are associated with the <br /> <br /> <br />following eight di tchsystems: Rio Grande Canal, Farmers Union Canal, Monte <br /> <br />Vista Canal, Empire Canal, San Luis Canal, Prairie Ditch, Costilla Ditch and Rio <br /> <br /> <br />Grande & Lariat Ditch. To ease the computational burden in modeling water rights <br /> <br /> <br />administration, the water rights of these eight ditches were consolidated from <br /> <br /> <br />approximately 110 water rights down to 40 water rights. <br /> <br />Water rights in the Del Norte to Alamosa reach associated with ditches other <br /> <br />than the eight listed above were consolidated into a single water use for <br /> <br />modeling purposes. Water rights outside the Del Norte to Alamosa reach were not <br /> <br />modeled but their effect on the Rio Grande during the 1948 through 1985 study <br /> <br />period was included in the generation of the flow base of the model through <br /> <br /> <br />streamflow records. <br /> <br />Two scenarios of Rio Grande mainstem diversions between Del Norte and Alamosa <br /> <br />were tested in the storable flow determinations. The "Step One Mainstem <br /> <br /> <br />Diversion" scenario generally constrained mainstem ditch diversions to maximum <br /> <br /> <br />levelS experienced from 1950 through 1967, which was a period prior to active <br /> <br />administration of the Rio Grande Compact. The "Alternate Step Two Diversion" <br /> <br />scenario allowed diversions greater than the 1950 through 1967 maximum levels <br /> <br />by four diversion systems which provide a majority of their diversions to the <br /> <br />Closed Basin. <br /> <br />An integral part of the allocation of Rio Grande Basin water within COlorado is <br /> <br /> <br />the effect of the Rio Grande Compact as discussed in the next section. The Rio <br /> <br /> <br />Grande Compact is an obligation that COlorado is committed to satisfying. <br /> <br /> <br />Curtailment of diversions of COlorado appropriators has often been required to <br /> <br />satisfy Colorado's Compact obligation. <br /> <br />iv <br />