Laserfiche WebLink
<br />. ,t)0032' <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Basin drain involved the construction of open drains from the basin <br /> <br />into the river. It became apparent that, if open drains were con- <br /> <br />structed, it would be most difficult, if not impossible, to control <br /> <br />the quality of water which would be discharged into the river. In <br /> <br />-- <br />particular. the final Rio Grande Compact of 1938 now in effect pro- <br /> <br />vides in Article 111(4) as follows: <br /> <br />"In event any works are constructed after 1937 for the <br />purpose of delivering water into the Rio Grande from the <br />closed basin, Colorado shall not be credited with the amount <br />of such water delivered, unless the proportion of sodium ions <br />shall be less than forty-five percent of the total positive <br />ions in that water when the total dissolved solids in such <br />water exceeds three hundred fifty parts per million." <br /> <br />As a result of a rather exhaustive engineering and geologic <br /> <br />investigation. it was determined that by the substitution of selec- <br /> <br />tive pumping and controlled mixing in lieu of an open drain that <br /> <br />the desired quality of the composite flows could' be easilY'maintained. <br /> <br />It was on this basis that the final plan was developed and submitted <br /> <br />to the Congress this year. <br /> <br />In 1938 the states of Colorado, New Mexico and Texas <br /> <br />entered into the Rio Grande River compact now in effect. The pur- <br /> <br />pose of the compact was to allocate waters among the states, which <br /> <br />waters for the most part originate in Colorado. The compact was <br /> <br />based upon two faulty premises, namely: that the precompact re- <br /> <br />corded flow of the river would repeat itself in sequence and that <br /> <br />historic diversions of water were all that were required to sustain <br /> <br />-5- <br />