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<br />DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
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<br />0.....<< 0" TM" eMI", 01" I!:HQINl:r".
<br />WAaHINOTON
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<br />5 April 1948
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<br />Subject I Rio Grande and Trlbutarle~, New Mpxico
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<br />To. THE SECRETARY OF !liE AIf,!Y
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<br />1. I submit tor transmission to Congrrss my rrport ~lth aecamnany-
<br />in. papers an::! illustrations on prf'l1m1nary f"xamination and SUTvPY of llRlo
<br />Orande and tr1butarie15, New Wexico,n authorized by the nood Control Act
<br />8pprOYed August 18, lQ~l. The probleme of flood control are clo~f'ly intrr-
<br />relatPd with the general development of water TPSQUrCes 1n the basin. Vy
<br />report includes a comprehensive consideration of thf' basin 8S a ~holp end
<br />contains an over-all plan of devplopment resulting from coordinatAd jnvf's-
<br />t1gations by the Corps ot Engineers, the Burpau of Rpe1amation, thf' Depart-
<br />ment of Agriculture, the Federal Powpr Commission and other FPderal and
<br />state agencies. It presents in detail the flood control pha~e of th6t
<br />plan.
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<br />2. Rio Grande rises in thp Rocky Mountains on the Continm.tal Di-
<br />vide in aouthern Colorado and nows 182 miles gpnerally southpast through
<br />Colorado, thence 46, miles southward across NE"W' Jtexico to E1 Paso, Texas.
<br />The lower 1,241-m1le length at the river from El Paso to the Gulf of l'pxico
<br />tOnM a section or the International Boundary bpt1fpen the Uni too States and
<br />Mexico. the basin above El Paso has an area of 38,964 square milps, of
<br />which 31,476 l!!Iq,uare m1.les lie 1n New Mf'Xico. Several. closed basins wi thin
<br />the wat~hed do not contribute runoff to the main river sYl'lteD\. 'n1e effec-
<br />tive or contributing drainage area is 4,604 square miles i-n .Colorudo and.
<br />24,650 square miles in NfIW )lntco. The basin is esspnt1ally s11rroundpd by
<br />mountain rangel!!l and. interspersed with isolated m01lntain mass"'s. Hieh
<br />desert plains and m~sa lands, generally broken and disspct~, lie bptwpPO
<br />the mountains. Elevations range from over 14,000 fpet a':love spa lpvpl
<br />along the Cont1nE!ltal Divide to 3,720 fp-et at the Intprnat10nal Boundary
<br />at El. Paso. The Colorado portion of the drainage area contains the San
<br />Luia Valley, a wide expanse ot inttTmol.lntain plain about 2,700 square
<br />miles in extent, lying between 7,500 and 8,000 feet above sea l~vpL
<br />Conejoe River enters Rio Grande tram the wpst wi thin San Luis Vall ~y at
<br />mile L93 above El Paso. Within New Kexico, the Rio Grande and its trib-
<br />utaries are either entrt'nched. in defl'p canyons or now through rp.lat1vely
<br />narrow alluvial valleye. Espanola Valley extending from Embudo, mile )Q4,
<br />at the lower end at Rio Grande Canyon to Otowi, mile 366, at the hfl'ad of
<br />White Rock Canyon averages about one mile in 1f1.dth bet1feen bluffs. The
<br />K1ddle Valley, ranging trom one to thr~e milf'l8 in width, extends from
<br />Cochiti, mile 342, at the lower end ot White Rock Canyon, to San Marcial,
<br />mile 178, near the upper limit of Elephant Butte Reservoir, thpnce bplow
<br />Elephant Butte Dam to include the Hot Springs area abo.,~ Caballo Reservoir.
<br />'n\e tower Valle,. t"Xtends tram Caballo Dam, mile 108, to El Paso, and has a
<br />width ot from one-fourth mile to tour miles betl'l'eE'n bluffs. ~jor tribu-
<br />taries 1n New Wex1co are I Rio Chama entering Rio Grande from thp wpst at
<br />mile 380 above Zl. pasoJ Rio Galisteo from the eBl!It at rUle ))l.; JPfTleZ Creek
<br />trom the west at mile 318, and Rio Puerco and Rio Salado tram th", ,,"'st at
<br />miles 236 and 228, respectively. Bluewater Valley, containing an irrigab1e
<br />area at about 5,500 acres, 1s located on Bluewater Creek, the headwater
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