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<br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Water development in Colorado accompanied by water development in New Mexico was <br /> <br /> <br />cited as the cause of water shortages in the El Paso, Texas region and Mexico during <br /> <br />the 1890's. In 1895, the Republic of Mexico filed a $ 35 million suit against the <br /> <br /> <br />United States to recover the value of lost crops caused by water shortages on the <br /> <br /> <br />Rio Grande. As a result of this claim, ,he US Secretary of the Interior imposed <br /> <br /> <br />restrictions in 1896 on upper Rio Grande Basin reservoir construction by preventing <br /> <br /> <br />the granting of rights-of-way over public lands (this restriction was removed in <br /> <br /> <br />1925) . <br /> <br />After lengthy negotiations between the United States and the Republic of Mexico, <br /> <br /> <br />the Treaty of 1906 was signed. The treaty provides that "the United States shall <br /> <br /> <br />del iver to Mexico a total of 60,000 acre-feet annually in the bed of the Rio <br /> <br /> <br />Grande.. .above the City of Juarez, Mexico ..." <br /> <br />As a means of enhancing the water supply to users on the Lower Rio Grande, the Rio <br /> <br /> <br />Grande Project, a large irrigation and water storage project at Elephant Butte, New <br /> <br /> <br />Mexico, was conceived (see Figure 11-2). A feasibility report on the Rio Grande <br /> <br /> <br />Project was prepared in 1904 and used to support the 1905 authorization of the Rio <br /> <br /> <br />Grande Proj ect. Phys ical features of the proj ect include Elephant Butte and Caballo <br /> <br /> <br />Reservoirs, 6 diversion dams, 141 miles of canal, 462 miles of laterals, 457 miles <br /> <br /> <br />of drains, and a hydroelectric powerplant. Construction of the 2.1 million af <br /> <br />capacity Elephant Butte Reservoir, was initiated in 1908 and completed in 1916. <br /> <br /> <br />Caballo Reservoir (approximately 350,000 af capacity) was constructed from 1936 to <br /> <br />1938. <br /> <br />From 1912 to 1925, three reservoirs were constructed in the upper Rio Grande Basin <br /> <br /> <br />(upstream of Del Norte, Colorado) to provide storage regulation of irrigation water. <br /> <br /> <br />These reservoirs were the 51,110 af capacity Rio Grande Reservoir, the 43,570 af <br /> <br /> <br />capacity Santa Maria Reservoir and the 26,720 af capacity Continental Reservoir. <br /> <br />When the United States Supreme Court articulated the doctrine of equitable <br /> <br /> <br />apportionment in the 1906 case of Kansas v. Colorado, the door was opened for the <br /> <br /> <br />assertion of rights to Rio Grande water by New Mexico and Texas. Following the <br /> <br /> <br />signing of a temporary compact between Colorado, New Mexico and Texas in 1929, <br /> <br />18 <br />