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<br />Statewide Water Supply Initiative <br />Fact Sheet <br /> <br /> <br />Compact Facts <br /> <br />United States-Mexican Water Treaty of 1906 <br />Guarantees the delivery of 60,000 AF of water annually at the International Dam at Ciudad Juarez, except during <br />periods of extreme drought. Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico was constructed partly to ensure the nation's <br />abil ity to meet this obI igation. The Rio Grande Compact provides that the allocations of water to the states shall not <br />be increased or diminished by reason of changes in the delivery or loss of water to Mexico. <br /> <br />Rio Grande Compact of 1938 <br />Establishes Colorado's obligation to ensure deliveries of water at the New Mexico state line and New Mexico's <br />obligation to assure deliveries of water at the Elephant Butte Reservoir, with some allowance for credit and debit <br />accounts. The obligations are calculated based on a schedule of deliveries, which are dependent on basin <br />hydrology. The Compact establishes the Rio Grande Compact Commission to administer the terms of the Compact. <br />The Commission consists of one representative from each state and a non-voting federal representative. Several <br />tributaries to the Rio Grande are not subject to the Rio Grande Compact administration. <br /> <br />Amended Costilla Creek Compact of 1963 <br />Establishes uses, allocations, and administration of the waters of Costilla Creek in Colorado and New Mexico. The <br />Compact makes apportionments and allocations among specific facilities. It is administered by the Costilla Creek <br />Compact Commission, which is composed of the water officials from Colorado and New Mexico. <br /> <br />Rio Gr.de Basin <br /> <br />Bill Owens <br />Governor <br /> <br /> <br />Rio Grande Basin Water <br />Management Issues <br /> <br />Russell George <br />Department of Natural <br />Resources <br />Executive Director <br /> <br />\ """",,K <br /> <br />J ~IUI?S <br /> <br />Rod Kuharich <br />Colorado Water <br />Conservation Board <br />Director <br /> <br /><,", <br /> <br />The Rio Grande Basin will face <br />several key points and challenges <br />with respect to water management <br />issues and needs over the next 30 <br />years. The following provides an <br />overview of some of the points and challenges that <br />have been identified. <br /> <br />--"- <br /> <br />. The Rio Grande Compact and the effects of <br />sustained drought make new water development <br />very difficult. <br /> <br /> <br />-- <br /> <br />.I <br /> <br />. In the Rio Grande Valley, agricultural water use is <br />at unsustainable levels and economic impacts of <br />reducing irrigation use of groundwater supplies <br />will be difficult to address. <br /> <br />Rio Grande Basin Overview <br /> <br />. Groundwater is a key component of water use in <br />the basin. <br /> <br />. -....0. .. <br /> <br />The Colorado portion of the Rio Grande Basin, <br />located in south central Colorado, encompasses <br />approximately 7,543 square miles. The largest <br />cities or towns in the basin are Alamosa <br />(population 8,248) and Monte Vista (population <br />4,542). <br /> <br /> <br />Major Imports into the Basin <br /> <br />The San Juan Mountains in the west, the Sangre <br />de Cristo Range in the north and east, the <br />Culebra Range in the southeast, and the <br />Colorado-New Mexico state line in the south <br />define the Colorado portion of the Rio Grande <br />Basin. The San Luis Valley, a primary feature of <br />the Rio Grande Basin, extends from the foothills <br />of the San Juan Mountains eastward to the <br />foothills of the Sangre de Cristo range and has an <br />average elevation of about 7,500 feet. <br /> <br />The majority of the San Luis Valley is privately <br />owned. The primary land use of more than <br />600,000 acres of the irrigated land is agricultural <br />operations in the central portion of the basin. <br />Areas in the valley that are not irrigated are <br />mostly classified as shrubland (24 percent) and <br />grassland (31 percent). The San Juan and the <br />Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges are largely <br />forested. The northern one-third of the basin is <br />considered to be a "closed basin" and does not <br />contribute any surface flows to the Rio Grande. <br /> <br />A/amosa-La Jara <br /> <br />Ephemeral stream in the Great Sand Dunes <br />National Park (photo courtesy of Adam Bingham) <br /> <br />Major Storage Projects <br /> <br /> Normal Storage <br />ReseNoir IAF) <br />Sanchez ReseNoir 103,114 <br />Platoro ReseNoir 59,571 <br />Rio Grande ReseNoir 52,192 <br />Santa Maria Reservoir 43,826 <br />Continental ReseNoir 22,679 <br />Mountain Home ReseNoir 17,374 <br />Terrace ReseNoir 15,182 <br />La Jara ReseNoir 14,055 <br />Smith ReseNoir 5,808 <br />Beaver Park ReseNoir 4,7 58 <br />Eastda/e ReseNoir No.1 3,468 <br />Eastda/e ReseNoir No.2 3,041 <br />Big Meadows ReseNoir 2,436 <br /> <br />Source: Colorado Division of Water Resources Office of Dam Safety Database <br /> <br /> Average <br /> Recipient Annual <br /> Diversions <br />Name Stream IAF) <br />1 Tarbell Saguache 370 <br />2 Weminuche Pass Ditch Weminuche 1,133 <br />3 Pine River-Weminuche Weminuche 426 <br /> Pass Ditch <br />4 Wms Cr.-Squaw Pass D. Squaw 221 <br />5 Don La Font D. 1 & 2 Red Mountain 174 <br />6 Treasure Pass Ditch Pass 225 <br />7 Tabor Pass Ditch Spring 827 <br /> <br />Medano Creek <br /> <br />Conservation and Conservancy Districts <br /> <br />Water ConseNation Districts <br />Rio Grande Colorado River <br /> <br />Water ConseNancy Districts <br />San Luis Valley Trinchera <br />Conejos <br /> <br />Major Exports from the Basin <br /> <br /> Diversions <br />Name IAF) <br />8 Hudson Branch Ditch I 157 <br />9 Medano Ditch I 843 <br /> <br />Source: Division 3 1998 Annual Report, 1 O-year averages <br /> <br />Additional information on this River Basin is available at http://www.cwcb.state.co.us <br /> <br />February 2006 <br />