WSPC02113

• File Number: 8541
• Description: San Luis Valley Project
• State: CO
• Basin: Rio Grande
• Water Division: 3
• Date: 2/27/1945
• Title: San Luis Valley Project Closed Basin Division - 1944-1946 - Annual Report
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Annual Report

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Those dr!l1nflge 1'f01"ks WEre con.:;tl-ucted, 1n~tnllcd o.n1 pls.ecd in operation, and, en
we are info::"med. establi3hed n steady nnd Jr.ore or leBo c.cpen.:lable return flow into ~he
river, but as to whether they fully eompenaa+,.e for stora.ge in tJ1e El Vado D~, we do not
at the pr030nt ti~e have sufficient information to venture an OplniOD~

We undoratand that No. J.iex1~o nolt' claims that if the schedules be baDcd upon (l.
twolve months period instead of a nine oonth period, e.D agreed upon in tho Compact, that
New Mexico .ould rocoiv8 satre 70,000 acro fect per year rwre water, and as a basis for
this claim asoorts that in crdcr tc keep the channel of tho Chama River and the Rio Grande
. clear, it ill nac6s81.I7 during the three lI'.onth1n period for r.h1ch datl:. has bean un&.val1a.ble
and sinco the adoption of the Ccn:pact, that she turn largB heads of water out of the El
Vada Dam to flush the ohar.nel. 'That New ~:ey:!.co recolvo:J no credit for this water whioh is
wasted into tho El~rhc.nt Butte :Xl1'\! at fan Vp.rciLll nnd [:0'35 to Texas.

\'l1thout To!ore intOI'i:'.Iltion U.en we he-vo at the present tll'1e" we are inclined to the
opinion that this additicne.1 water is to 9. ve::'y f"...1.tcrial if not to a pradonlnat extent
water aecUllll.l.lated in the drclns ~~ich should go bac~~ L1.to the river to c.onpensBto for
st<lrags in the El Vedo D!U!l.

At the present tiM, M:l
opinion:
1.

ne should aey, without c('Ir::plete inforti\.'ltlon, wo are of' the

2.

That any change in the sccedul95 would be a su~~t&ntlv~ matter, tho ra-conniderntion
of which is prohibited under tho Compact.
That no ~ufficlent dut~ is available to dcterndne the ncce53i~ or tho equity of
cba.'1ginZ the bn,c,ia of the echeduleD ndoptod undc.r t.ho Compact, and. that no
intellJgent cO~31~cration or tho matter could be had until n nlxober of 7eor13
reco;"::1s of rnG<lL1lJ!,O;c~nt6 during the t}u'e~ :1onf..'1s period which are sour,ht to be
included, 13 &vnilable.
Thllt batore a.V r<!eo!1:ddl)ratio~ it:: lu.d a very cnroflJl chock should be meda of the
souroe of t:-:'e additionsl wntcr clai:-;wd, if any, anJ finally' that we should not
eO~3e~t to a rocoll~iderat1on or the problcmc of Nc7. I~~lco lmlesB liko p~oblema
affecting Colora1o, t~C co~~ldered at tho Ba~s ti~o, inclu1ing the following:

3.

(8) Cl.."l:ificlltiO!1 of the U3e o~ 91!lCll rcservoll'i] eonstruetnd aft'Jr 1937.

(b) Clllt'ificatlon of tho Co;::pact rela.tive to reaer-roirs constructed. in
Colorado prior to 1937.

(c) A rTOV~51on tor the appointmo~t of Colorado Co~~ct Co~~i3s1oner8 ~
the Co".'ornor &13 provl\11e in tho easo of TO):n8.

(d) TIle eat8b119~~'nt of machl~ery for the aeloctlon of a Socretar,y of the
CO~PQct CO~33ion 90 8S to insure n dlsintereeted and lcpartial
13ec~..et..ary if c.ne 1s required. TIle division of his titlo between Ule
St:l"toiS nnd the ostabli:.llment of a Compact oftice in each at&te whe:"e
compl~tB reecrd~ of COt~ct Co~iJGion ~ay be Eva1l~blA to interested
percono at all tl=oe.

Any chllng'3 in tho Cot':ps.ct, to bo cor..e affectivo, C\l.Ot bQ ratified by tho Leglelature
and Gcvenlor of all thre~ ntatea ecncernsd ~nd trj tho United ~tates Congreeo.

Your boa....-d has tuken tho poSition pendlnz i\u.'ther inya:::tieationa and nd71C-9 relativo
to tho :!lAtter that we will resi:::t 'the npr:rovul by the Colorado Leeis1o.ture of o..~' nction
taken by The Rio Crc.nde COop8.ct Cor~Till33ion !;t'O"Ifine out of thoir review of tho Con:pact
until "e can bo oatisficd. e.s to th~ forogo1ne rx.tters.

'During the year the Scerotar,y of The Rio Gr&.~e Co~.et Co~18alon advancod the
theory that the mat 5280 Gel'S feet awarded to the ria GraMo ncscrvoir (CO~1\ly know
as the Fa.~rs Union ne~~rvoir) in tho decree of l~16 as n conditional decree and made
abGoluto in t::e docrce o~ 1~3J,., bo subjected to the terms of the Cl"mp8.ct.

Your board foel:; that the ::n'sgestioiJ. of the Cec:ret.ary of the Rio Grande Co~ct
Co:n::lis31on, '\I'8.lJ without Justifie~tio;'1 "hatev01~. Prooobly this l!W.7 be Juat WI entering
wedga which it permitted in the cc.CC' of tha FST:'!'.ers Un1o;\ 1:onld be followed by an attonpt
to subject at 1ea:Jt a pol"t~on or tho S6.I1ta Maria RO:Icrvoir Dec.re~ to the Compact and all
of the decr~e~ Rn~Jed to tho Ccntlil~~t&l recerToir, and oUler 3~11 reg~olrs, in 1934
for the fo1lo-ing re030ns:

1. The rec::eta:..';;~ at t'03t 13 a pul'ely r:dn1ster1al officer ct-..arged trith 'the
accufmlntion s.nd rccorJL,3' or d&tn only.

2. The works providing tno additional etora.ge space of ;280 acre feet in the Farmer.
Union Rsn(lrvo~r, 1'I'6ro co:rpleted in 1928. The Colorado Schedules ..ere bo.sed up?n