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<br />. <br /> <br />the Rio Grande or its tributaries can store or release large quantities <br />of water over a short period of time as can Rio Grande Reservoir. <br />The administrative scheme for using Rio Grande Reservoir for <br />Compact administration involves storing a significant quantity of <br />water during the irrigation season that could be released upon demand <br />of the State Engineer if required to meet the Compact delivery obli- <br />gation. If the State Engineer decides that it Is not necessary to <br />deliver this water for Compact purposes, the water Is released for <br />benef i cia 1 use by a II the Rio Grande water users. I n other words, <br />the State Engineer uses the water in storage as a "cushion" to assure <br />that Colorado makes its delivery obligation. By use of this "cushion" <br />the State Engineer can also minimize over-deliveries. <br />More specifically, the State Engineer typically curtails diver- <br />sions by a certain percentage depending on estimates of the flow of <br />the Rio Grande at Del Norte. Instead of delivering this curtailed <br />water to New Mexico, the State Engineer requires that a portion, or <br />in some cases all of this water, be stored in Rio Grande Reservoir. <br />The amount of water stored is dependent upon the flow of the Rio Grande <br />at Del Norte. For 1979, 29,000 acre-feet of Compact water was stored <br />in Rio Grande Reservoir; for 1980, 15,000 acre-feet was stored; and <br />for 1981, 14,000 acre-feet was stored. It was not necessary to release <br />any of this water for Compact delivery purposes. Rather, the Rio <br />Grande water users received the benefits of storing Compact water. <br />The beneficiaries of this administrative scheme include all of <br />the Rio Grande water Users. The SlVID and the Rio Grande Water Users <br />Association have agreed to distribute the stored Compact water to all <br />of the Rio Grande water users. By this agreement, 50 percent of the <br />water is distributed to the SlVID and 50 percent is distributed to the <br />other water users. The 50 percent distributed to the other water users <br />is released to the river at high, medium and low river flows in order <br />to distribute water to users with senior water rights, with junior <br />water rights and with intermediate priority water rights. <br />This mode of administration has worked successfully for the past <br />three years and has assisted in minimizing over-deliveries to New <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />-35- <br />