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<br />Mr. Travis Smith, Superintendent <br />October 16, 2003 <br />Page 5 <br /> <br />constructed after 1929 to the amount of the accrued debits of Colorado and New <br />Mexico, respectively, and such releases shall be made by each at the greatest <br />rate prac~icable under the conditions then prevailing, and in proportion to the total <br />debit of each, and in amounts, limited by their accrued debits, sufficient to bring <br />the quantity of usable water in Project Storage to 600,000 acre feet by March first <br />and to maintain this quantity in storage until April thirtieth, to the end that a <br />normal release of 790,000 acre-feet may be made from Project Storage in that <br />year. <br /> <br />The limitations in the Tres Rios decree in Case No. 91 CW29 would also appear to apply <br />and be even more restrictive than the compact provisions listed above. This decree found that <br />water would be available for the Tres Rios post-compact water rights only in years when"either <br />(1) Elephant Butte Reservoir has spilled or, in the judgment of Colorado's Commissioner. on. the <br />Rio Grande Compact Commission, is certain to spill or (2) Colorado has obtained or, in' the <br />judgment of Colorado's Commissioner on the Rio Grande Compact Commission~ is certain to <br />obtain an annual credit in excess of 1501000 acre-feet. Any such diversions must also be in <br />priority with respect to other water rights in Colorado. No diversions may be made at any other <br />time in the absence of a plan for augmentation approved in the manner required by law. <br /> <br />WATER AVAILABLE UNDER A POST-COMPACT WATER STORAGE RIGHT <br /> <br />Under the Tres Rios criteria, water would have been available for storage in the reservoir <br />enlargement in 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1995~ These were years when Project Storage spilled. <br />There were no years during 1946-2002 when Colorado achieved an annual credit of 150,000 <br />acre-feet The water that would have been available for storage in the reservoir enlargement in <br />these years was estimated from daily records for the flow at the Del Nolte gaging station as the <br />portions of the flow that exceeded the demands of the downstream ditches1 but limited to the <br />outflow frOll1 Rio Grande Reservoir. The demands of the downstream ditches were taken as <br /> <br />Period <br />April 1-15 <br /> <br />April 16-30 <br /> <br />May <br /> <br />June <br /> <br />Demand <br />(efs) <br />800 <br />1,700 <br />3,800 <br />4,900 <br />