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<br />001104 <br /> <br />the State Assembly established the Rio. Grande Water Censervatien District. <br />The District is a duly censtituted entity ef local gevernment~ Its beard <br />censists of members appeinted by the cemmissioners ef each Celerade ceunty which <br />contributes water to. the Rio Grande (except for Cestilla Ceunty which chese net <br />to participate). Its jeb is to. promote water reseurce develepment within the <br />San Luis Valley, determine water policy, ewn water, ceerdinate legal and <br />engineering matters affecting the San Luis Valley, and assist in develeping <br />prejects with the Celerade,Water Censervation Beard and the Federal Gevernment. <br /> <br />The District is the primary spenser of the San Luis Valley Preject - Clesed Basin <br />Division (Clesed Basin Preject) which the Bureau i'S new in the precess ef <br />constructing. <br /> <br />The Bureau's involvement is net in the nature of a pregram impesed f;rem "abeve" <br />by the Gevernment. The Bureau acts as an engineering firm previding planning, <br />design, and censtructien expertise fer water prejects which weuld be difficult <br />er impessible for the private secter to. accemplish by itself. Typically, Bureau <br />prejects are spensered by lecal erganizatiens (irrigatien districts and/er <br />municipalities). Mest ef the cost ef a project is repaid directly to. the <br />U. S. Treasury by the spensors and beneficiaries, through a leng-term repayment <br />centract. Hewever, Valley residents will net have to. repay the cests ef <br />building the Clesed Basin Preject directly. This is because ene ef the needs to. <br />which the Preject is a respense is to previde water to. meet a natienal <br />ebligatien (the Treaty with Mexice). <br /> <br />The District is the Preject's lecal spenser. The Preject is a respense to. the <br />Valley's need to. develep a reliable seurce ef water which: (1) can serve to <br />keep the Valley unencumbered by dewnstream lawsuits and (2) be develeped witheut <br />significantly disturbing the existing lecal pattern ef water use. <br /> <br />The Preject (which is described mere fully in the follewing sectien) is designed <br />to. achieve a delivery ef abeut 104,000 acre-feet of water annually. ThePreject <br />is being built in stages ever the ceurse ef the next 10 years. Initial deliveries <br />will be less than the abeve ameunt. Every drop ef water delivered to. the river <br />wiil help, hewever. Each drep will previde the Valley with that much mere <br />maneuvering reem to. develep a regular valley-wide system ef water allecatien <br />which is fair, recegnizes established histeric patterns of use, allews reem fer <br />grewth, and gets the Valley eut ef the yearly scramble and uncertainty abeut <br />meeting the Cempact. It is impertant to. remember that all the Bureau is respen- <br />sible fer is building the Preject (subject to. the censtraints discussed belew) <br />and putting the water in the river" What will be dene with the water ence it <br />gets there and what kind ef a Valley-wide system of water aIle cation might be <br />develeped as a result ef the Valley having more water to. werk with are net deci- <br />siens the Bureau is even allewed to. make. These decisiens will be made by the <br />State ef Celorade and lecal San Luis Valley erganizatiens. <br /> <br />5 <br /> <br />, <br />