7776

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7776
• Author: Paddock, W. A. and W. C. Weiss.
• Title: A Primer on Colorado Water Law.
• USFW Year: 1986.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

the Colorado River compact among the upper basin states.
3. La Plata River Compact, 1922, sections 37-63-101 to
102, C.R.S. 1973).
This compact is between the States of Colorado and New Mexico.
It apportions the water flowing in this river between the two
states from February 15 to December 1 of each year. The appor-
tionment is based on the flows of the river and establishes no
absolute delivery requirements.
4. Animas-La Plata Project Compact, 1963, section 37-64-
101, C.R.S. (1973T.
This compact is between the States of Colorado and New Mexico.
The compact was entered into to implement the Animas-La Plata•
federal reclamation project which has not yet been built.
5. South Platte River Compact, 1923, section 37-65-101,
C.R.S. (1973).
This compact is between the States of Colorado and Nebraska. The
compact establishes the obligation of Colorado to deliver water
to Nebraska from April 1 to October 15 of each year. During that
time, Colorado is to provide a flow of 120 cubic feet per second
of water at the interstate gauging station. If the flow drops
below this rate, then Colorado must curtail water rights junior
to June 14, 1897, diverting water between the western boundary of
Washington County and the Colorado-Nebraska state line. The ef-
fect of this delivery requirement is to prevent the State of Ne-
braska from "calling out" water rights senior to June 14, 1987,
to satisfy the compact obligations. It also prevents the Nebras-
ka call from going upstream beyond the western county line of
Washington County, Colorado.
6. Rio Grande River Compact, 1938, sections 37-66-101 to
102, C.R.S. (1973).
This compact is among Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. It is a
rather complicated compact in terms of both language and adminis-
tration. Much of the complexity arises from the fact that the
compact is premised on the upstream states developing storage ca-
pacity to store water not presently needed downstream. Because
the compact contemplates upstream storage of water, it also makes
provisions for allowing states not to meet their delivery re-
quirements by retaining water in storage.
The basic allocation of waters between the states in accomplished
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