BOARD00822

• Board Meeting Date: 4/27/1953
• Description: Minutes and Resolution
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

181

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The matter of i~mediate importance is an engineering investigation to
determine the cause of the debit. Consulting Engineer Tipton has sub-
mitted a letter giving his ideas of the scope and cost of the investi-
gation. A copy of that letter is attached hereto. The cost figure of
$10,000.00 mentioned by Mr. Tipton would seem to be an irreducible
minimum. It will be useless to undertake the investigation without
adequate funds to complete it. It is suggested that the appropriation
should be to 'the Colorado Water Conservation Board and 'should be ear-'
marked for this particular purpose. The present appropriation f or the
Colorado Water Conservation Board and the requested appropriation for
the' next fiscal year do not contain funds to finance this emergency
matter. Also it should be mentioned that must in large measure be
done before the beginning of the next fiscal year. In the event ad-
ditional information is desired, Messrs. 'Hinkley, Tipton and Breiten-
stein vdll be available for that purpose.

/s/ Jean S. Breitenstein
Attorney for the Colorado Water Conservation
Board

Denver, Colorado
February 27, 1953

flr. Breitenstein also read a letter from Mr. Tipton, dated February 26,
1953, regarding cost of investigation regarding delivery of water by Colo-
rado at Lobatos on the Rio Grande. The letter reads as follows:

Royce J. Tipton
Consulting Engineer
610-611 Insurance Building
Denver, Colorado

February 26, 1953

Mr. Jean S. Breitenstein
718 Symes Building
Denver, Colorado

Dear Mr. Breitenstein:

This is to give to you the approximate cost of the investigation
which has been proposed to determine the reason the delivery of water
by Colorado at Lobatos on the Rio Grande during 1952 fell far short
of the amount that Colorado is obligated to deliver under the Upper
Rio Grande Conpact.

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With a c~nbination of years such as 1951 arill 1952, with the run-
off of 1951 being unprecedentedly low and the runoff of 1952 being
high, a Colorado debit under the Compact in the amount of 60,000 acre
feet could have been expected. However, an analysis of the records
of the compact stations indicates that Colorado's debit for 1952 may
be on tho order of from 150,000 to 160,000 acre feet. It nay be that
this excessive debit is due to reasons other than the vagaries of
nature. In order to ascertain the facts, steps should be taken to
compare the area irrigated by the Rio Grande and its tributaries in
Colorado at the present tirr~ with the area that was irrigated immedi-
ately prior to negotiation of the Compact.