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<br />Elephant Butte Reservoir area <br />Palomas Valley <br />Rincon Valley <br />Mesilla Valley <br />EI Paso Vallev (American Side) <br />Total <br /> <br />2,080 <br />150 <br />4,370 <br />26,229 <br />8.537 <br />41,366 <br /> <br />Water shortages occurred in the Mesilla and EI Paso-Juarez Valleys in the 1890s that <br />provided at least some of the impetus for the Rio Grande Project. People near Juarez <br />complained to the Mexican Govemment about these water shortages, and the Mexican <br />Government filed a claim for damages against the United States alleging that the water <br />shortages were due to increased water uses in Colorado and New Mexico. The International <br />Boundary Commission 1J was directed to study and make a report covering the whole upper Rio <br />Grande situation. This study, done by WW. Follett, concluded that the shortages were because <br />of increased water uses in Colorado in the 1880s (NRC, 1938, p. 73). In 1896, after the Follett <br />study was completed, the Secretary of Interior imposed an "embargo' to prevent further <br />upstream irrigation development of Rio Grande water through the suspension of all rights-of- <br />way across federal land. With some modification in 1907, this embargo remained in effect until <br />May 1925. The Mexican Government continued to press its claims, and the Departments of <br />State and Interior undertook studies to determine the means of providing water to Mexico. The <br />studies revealed the feasibility of constructing a storage dam and reservoir on the Rio Grande <br />near Engle and led to a 1906 treaty with Mexico (34 Stat. 2953). The embargo and the Mexican <br />Treaty are discussed later in more detail. <br /> <br />The Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902 (33 Stat. 814) provided the general authority to <br />the Secretary of Interior to construct irrigation works for reclaiming arid and semiarid lands in the <br />west and created the U.S. Reclamation Service. The Rio Grande Project was one of the first <br />projects to be studied after the passage of the Reclamation Act. Its purposes were to insure <br />that the Federal Government would be able to meet its commitment to Mexico as well as <br />providing water for the irrigation of lands in southern New Mexico and western Texas. Surveys <br /> <br />11 The Intemational Boundary Commission was the predecessor of the IBWC. It was created by the <br />March 1,1889 Treaty with Mexico (26 Stat. 1512). Its function was to resolve disputes relating to the <br />boundary between the United States and Mexico when the rivers fonning the boundary changed their <br />courses. <br /> <br />r ~ <br />, ' <br />'...' .. <br /> <br />,"" <br />i~J <br /> <br />3-2 <br />