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O~Oi05 . . , 6. The authorizing act establishes an operating committee consisting of one member appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, one member appointed by the Colorado Water Conservation Board and one member appointed by the Rio Grande Water Conservation District. This committee is authorized to determine from time to time whether the requirements of the act are being complied with. In the event that the committee finds that there is any violation of the safeguards contained in the act, the Secretary of the Interior must modify the 9peration to the extent necessary to eliminate any adverse effect. In addition to the many safeguards contained in the authorizing legislation, the board staff proposes that the Colorado Water Con- servation Board appoint an operating committee to monitor and make recommendations concerning the project construction and subsequent operation. Asa,minimum, this operating committee should consist of representatives from the Rio Grande Water conservation District, the conejos Water Conservancy District, the San Luis Valley Water Con- servancy District, the Rio Grande Water Users Association, and the San Luis Valley Irrigation Well OWners, Inc. Conclusions and Recommendations At the present time, an excess of 600,000 acre-feet of water is being lost in the Closed Basin. Much of this water is being diverted from the Rio Grande. This is a staggering waste of water which should not be tolerated in a state which is constantly struggling to match its available water supplies with an ever increasing demand. The Closed Basin project is an example of reclamation in its truest sense. As the result of demands on the Rio Grande River under the Mexican Treaty and the Rio Grande Compact, and more specifically as the result of the pending litigation, the state engineer has been forced to curtail water diversions in the San Luis Valley. This has resulted in severe economic hardship to an area which is already economically depressed. The resulting bitterness towards state officials and among neighbors in competition over the same water supply is a condition which can be eliminated by construction of the project. unless remedial action is undertaken, a series of protracted legal battles will take place over the next many years, none of which will produce an additional drop of water. The President has requested the sum of $375,000 for the Closed Basin project for fiscal year 1977. This should be sufficient to complete the definite plan report and a new environmental impact statement. It is recommended that the Governor and the members of Colorado's congressional delegation be requested to support this appropriation. -5-