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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Mr. Travis Smith, Superintendent <br />October 16, 2003 <br />Page 7 <br /> <br />The first area would be to temporarily store some compact water early in the irrigation <br />season to use as a "cushi~n" against fluctuations in curtailments that might be caused during <br />the course of the irrigation season by the-inability to accurately predict the volumes of the runoff <br />and the necessary curtailments. Fluctuations in curtailments during the course of the irrigation <br />season could affect certain groups of water users disproportionately. For example, if it was <br />necessary to increase the curtailment during the peak of the runoff, the more junior water rights <br />would suffer a larger curtailment. If it turns out the Compact water so impounded during the <br />early part of the irrigation season is needed to avoid an increase in the curtailment, it can be <br />released and delivered to the State Line. If the Compact water.so impounded is not needed, it <br />can be released during the recession of the rynoff so as. to reduce the curtailments to all the <br />water rights - juniors, mid-range, and seniors. This operation would not affect Colorado's or the <br />Rio Grande's separate accounting under the Rio Grande Compact. We have not attempted to <br />quantify the storage that could have been made for this purpose during water years 1946-2002, <br />but we believe that it would have been helpful in many years when curtailments are necessary. <br /> <br />The second area would involve some temporary storage of water that needs to be <br />delivered to New Mexico and Texas but is occurring when the Rio Grande flow is at a high rate <br />so as to suffer high conveyance losses. The water could be held in storage until the flow in the <br />river has diminished and then released for delivery to the State Line. This would involve only <br />water that is not available to Colorado water users under the Compact Administration. We have <br />not yet attempted to quantify the storage that could be made for this purpose, but we believe <br />that type of Compact storage would have had some benefit in as many as 20 years in the <br />analysis period. <br /> <br />The third area would be storage of Colorado Credit water. As you know, an over-delivery <br />under the Compact in a year produces an annual credit in the Rio Grande Compact <br />Commission accounting that is carried forward into the next year and considered as being <br />contained in Project Storage. Having a credit carried forward into the next year mayor may not <br />make additional water available to the Colorado water users depending on whether curtailment <br />is or would otherwise be necessary. If curtailment is necessary in the next year, the credit water <br />will reduce the curtailment and will make additional water available to the Colorado water users. <br />If curtailmen~ is not necessary in the ne>..1 year, the credit would be carried fOrw2:-d again, /:I' ,f <br />reduced for evaporation and subject to spill under Article VI of the Compact. The evaporation <br />charges in Project Storage are significant, amounting to about 4 percent of credits brought into <br />the accounting year. Thus, the advantages of storing credit water in an enlargement of Rio <br />