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In 1985, after receiving assurances that the Closed Basin Project would not be used to curtail <br />the wells of the shareholders of its members, the Association joined with the Conejos Water <br />Conservancy District, the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, and others in an <br />allocation of water from the Closed Basin Project. In exchange, the parties agreed to forego <br />regulation of existing levels of use attained by existing wells tributary to the Rio Grande and <br />Conejos River. <br />• In 1986-1991, the Association played a central role in the defeat of the water rights claims of <br />American Water Development. <br />• In 1990-91, the Association negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding with the State <br />Engineer and the Conejos Water Conservancy District to resolve contentious issues of <br />Compact administration. <br />• In 1998-99, the Association prepared and worked extensively to secure the passage of House <br />Bill 1011 to protect groundwater resources in the San Luis Valley during the pendency of the <br />studies now being carried out for the RGDSS. <br />In addition, the Association has also secured water rights for the benefit of its members and water <br />users on the Rio Grande. Those decrees are the Winter Recharge Decree in Case No. 79CW91, <br />and the Closed Basin Project Substitution Decree in Case No. 91CW45, Water Division No. 3. <br />Water Use and Management Perspectives <br />The Association and its members are interested in all aspects of water rights administration on the <br />Rio Grande, and the implementation and interpretation of the Rio Grande Compact, both <br />interstate and intrastate. Those interests can be broken down into (1) Rio Grande Compact <br />administration, (2) Surface water administration, (3) Pre-Compact storage, and (4) Groundwater <br />administration. <br />Rio Grande Compact Administration <br />Water rights on the Rio Grande are frequently subject to curtailment to meet its separate delivery <br />obligation under the Rio Grande Compact. The Association wants to ensure accuracy and <br />efficiency in Compact administration. For example, often it is more beneficial to divert water and <br />apply it to beneficial use in Colorado than it is to have anover-delivery on the Compact. Such <br />over-deliveries result in loss of credit water to evaporation in Elephant Butte Reservoir. While <br />having credit in Elephant Butte Reservoir can reduce the severity of curtailment in subsequent <br />years, over-deliveries deprive the water users on the Rio Grande of water that can be directly <br />applied to the land, used to recharge and sustain the aquifers upon which many farmers depend <br />for their livelihood, or stored in reservoirs for later use. <br />The Association has worked with the State and Division Engineers to make storage space <br />available in pre-Compact reservoirs to store water that might otherwise result in over- deliveries <br />on the Compact. This helps minimize over-deliveries while keeping the water in storage should <br />additional stateline deliveries be needed or desired. <br />The Memorandum of Understanding between the State Engineer, the Association, and the <br />Conejos Water Conservancy District has resolved the majority of the questions about intrastate <br />Compact administration. That MOU may be terminated, however, particularly if the Closed <br />C:Acdss\RGWUA3.doc Rio Grande Water Users Association Interview June 21, 1999 -Page 3 of 9 <br />