BOARD01741

• Board Meeting Date: 6/20/1955
• Description: Minutes and Resolution
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

.,-
-299

I

The State of New Mexico recommended that the plan be
re-studied, taking into account operating conditions under
terms of the Rio Grande Compact, elimination of power
features, coordination of the project flood 'controLfea,t~res with
the Middle Rio Grande Project, and an evaluation of the
need for main channel storage in New Mexico. That State
also recommended that reauthorization of the project be
deferred until uncertainties arising from litigation
between Texas and New Mexico could be settled.

Texas commented that storage in Colorado would be
adverse to New Mexico and Texas and would aggravate the
water shortage situation, and recommended that Wagon Wheel
Gap dam and reservoir be disapproved and no further con-
sideration be given to its development.

Subsequent to receipt of these comments, the Bureau
of Reclamation made operation studies which considered-
active storage capacities for irrigation pnrposes of
100,000; 300,000; 500,000 and 700,000 acre-feet respectively.
The studies indicated that the optimum capacity for
irrigation would be about 300,000 acre-feet.

The Corps of Engineers advised that 60,000 acre-feet
of capacity would be required for control of unpredictable
rain floods, and that a single purpose reservoir necessary
to provide the flood control benefits evaluated for the
project plan would have a total of 440,000 acre-feet
capacity. It was determined that the 300,000 acre-feet of
irrigation capacity would control predictable floods in
Colorado, and that an additional 140,000 acre-feet of
capacity would provide reasonable control of floods in
New Mexico due to flows above Wagon Wheel Gap. It was thus
concluded that the total capacity of Wagon Wheel Gap
Reservoir should be 500,000 acre-feet with the top 60,000
acre-feet allocated to control unpredictable floods and
440,000 acre-feet allocated for "joint" irrigation and
flood control use, on a forecast basis.

I

The'subject supplemental report on Rio Grande and
Weminuche Pass Divisions dated June, 1955, has thus been
prepared as a result of the comments on the prior report
and the operation studies are based ona 500,000 acre-foot
reservoir at Wagon Wheel Gap. No power features are
included in the plan of the report other than the provision
of two 70-inch diameter penstocks through the dam which can
be used if future conditions justify the cODstruction of a
power plant.