BOARD00361

• Board Meeting Date: 9/13/1945
• Description: Table of Contents and Minutes
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Minutes

..uthori zed for constructi on by,the Bure..u of Reclll.Dlati on. It is
loc..ted in the Rio Gr..nde B..sin to provide supplement..l w..ter sup-
plies for presently irrig..ted lands in the S..n Luis Valley. It
consists of two units, namely, (1) the Rio Grande unit, with two
prinoipal features, the Wagon Wheel Gap reservoir for stor..ge of
1,000,000 aore-feet of w..ter, and the Weminuohe diversion for expor-
tation of ..pproximately 24,000 aore-feet of water per year from the
San Ju..n Basin; and (2) the Conejos unit for the storage and regu-
lation of the water of the Conejos River for supplemental irrig..tion
supplies. The Conej os unit, ..coording to present plans, will oon-
sist of .. ohannel reservoir on the Conejos River and an off-ohannel
reservoir. Water users under the Cenejos unit have organized ..
oonservanoy distriot under the Conservancy District Aot of 1937, as
amended, The formation of a distriot for the Rio Grande are.. is
being uadertaken.

Provided, that the approval of this project, as a part
of the immedi..te postwar program in Colorado, is subjeot to the
condition that no construction of the Weminuche transmountain
diversion fe..ture nor effort to seCure ..ppropri..tions therefer
shall be undertaken until an agreement for the proteotion of the
present ..nd prospective uses of water in the San Juan Basin,
pursu..nt to the policy heretofore ..pproved by this Board, has been
m..de between the interests in the S... Juan Basin ..nd the water
users in the San Luis Valley who will benefit by the proposed
diversion. Suoh agreement shall be satisf..otory to the affeoted
interests in both the San Juan Basin and the San Luis Valley, and
approved by the Colorado Water Conserv..tion Board. All appre-
pri..te me..sures through appropriation Aots ..nd otherwise shall be
taken to effeotu..te this condition.

10. Investigations. All appropriate steps shall be t..ken
by the Board to aid in expediting projeot investigations and
studies of the Bureau of Reolamation, the Corps of Army Engineers,
the U. S. Geological Survey and ,Qther interested Federal agenoies
and to secure adequate appropriations therefor.

Judge O'Rourke seconded the motion for the passage
of the foregoing resolution, and, upon vote being taken,
it was unanimously carried and declared adopted.

,

There then ensued a disoussion conoerning the position of the State of
Color..do rel..tive to the reservation in Caddoa Reservoir of water for fish,
wildlife and recreational purposes. It w..s pointed out that the Corps of
Army Engineers proposed to hold a public he..ring ..t Lamar, Colorado, in the
ne"r future for the oonsideration of the me..sures whioh should be taken at
Caddo.. Reservoir (John Martin Dam and Reserveir) for the advancement. pro-
teotion ..nd preservation of fish, wildlife and reoreational purposes. Miss
Pointer presented.. resolution setting forth the position whioh the Colorade
W..ter Conservation Board should take on the matter and expl..ined that the
Arkans..s Valley Ditoh Association had requested that she present the reso-
lution to the Beard and ..sk for its adoptien. This resolution was supported