Rio Grandewddraft

• Year: 2002
• Title: Rio Grande Water Use, Growth and Water Demand Projections
• CWCB Section: Water Supply Planning
• Author: CWCB
• Description: Rio Grande Water Use, Growth and Water Demand Projections Fact Sheet
• Publications - Doc Type: Basin Fact Sheets

Rio Grande Decision Support System
In October,1997 the Colorado VVater Conservation Board (CVVCB) and the Colorado Division of Water
Resources (CDWR) identified a need for and funded a feasibility study to develop and implement a DSS
for the Rio Grande Basin. In December, 1998, RGDSS construction began with the development of a
database and appropriate analytical tools for making informed decisions regarding Rio Grande basin
water and water management. RGDSS is expected to accomplish the following:
• Provide comprehensive, accurate, user-friendly databases compatible with the CDWR
HydroBase database
• Provide data and models to evaluate alternative water development and administration strategies
that can maximize the use of available resources in all types of hydrologic conditions and the
development of sound water resources management strategies
• Provide a functional, integrated system that can be maintained and upgraded by the State
• Have the capability to accurately represent current and potential federal and state administrative
and operational policies and laws
~ Promote information sharing among government agencies and water users
United States-Mexican Water Treaty of 1906 guarantees the delivery of 60,000 acre feet of
water annually at the International Dam at Cuidad Juarez, except during periods of extreme
drought.
Rio Grande River Compact of 1938 establishes Colorado's obligation to ensure deliveries of
water at the New Mexico state line and New Mexico's obligation to assure deliveries of water at
the Elephant Butte Reservoir, with some allowance for credit and debit accounts. The Compact
also provides that the allocation of water to the states shall not be increased or decreased by
reason of changes in the delivery or loss of water to Mexico.
References
L National Water-Use Data Files, USGS, 180, 1990,1995
2. Colorado Water Develo~ment StudX, Colorado Farm Bureau,1997
3. Preliminary Po~ulation Projections, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, 2001
4. Cumulative Yearly Statistics, Colorado Division of Water Resources, 2000
5. Interstate Com~acts, U.S. Su~reme Court Decrees and International Treaties Affectin~ Colorado's Use of Water, Colorado
Water Conservation Board,1995
6. Colorado A~ricultural Census, National Agricultural Statistics Service,1997
7. Consum~tive Uses and Losses Summary, Rio Grande Decision Su~port System, Final Re~ort, Leonard Rice
Consulting Engineers for CWCB, 2000
8. Rio Grande Decision Su~port System, GIS Data, CDSS, 2000 (http:l/cdss.state.co.us/ftp/gis.asp#Data)
9. Colorado Basin Outlook Report, Natural Resource Conservation Service, June l, 2001
10. Rio Grand Decision Su~port System Overview, CDSS, 2000 (http:l/cdss.state.co.us/overview/rgdss/rgdss.asp)
~ For more information on this basin please ~isit http:llcwcbstate.co.us >