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<br />another commissioner. Engineering studies were carried out by both Colorado and New Mexico <br />during the remainder of the year. <br /> <br />Finally, the commissioners met during December 1928 through February 1929. The <br />result of these negotiations was a five-year, temporary compact that was later extended but <br />allowed to expire on October 31, 1936. Its underlying tenet was the maintenance of the .status <br />quo", The principal provisions of this temporary compact were (1) that neither Colorado nor <br />New Mexico would increase diversions from the Rio Grande unless the depletions therefrom <br />were offset by increased drainage returns; (2) that the three states would maintain certain <br />stream gaging stations and exchange the records therefrom; and (3) that before the expiration <br />of the temporary compact, a commission would be formed to negotiate a permanent compact. <br /> <br />On September 23, 1935, another embargo was imposed on upstream reservoir <br />development, this time by order of the President. This 1935 embargo provided that no Federal <br />approval should be given for any project involving the use of Rio Grande water without first <br />having a prompt opinion on the project from the National Resource Commission "from all <br />relevant points of view". <br /> <br />In October 1935, Texas moved in the U,S. Supreme Court for leave to file a complaint <br />against New Mexico and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District alleging that New Mexico <br />had violated the 1929 compact by "impairing the water supply in Elephant Butte Reservoir <br />through excessive diversions and through injurious increase of salt content of the water" (Hill, <br />1968, pp. 6-7). This action was precipitated by the storage of water in EI Vado Reservoir in <br />1935, a year of low water supply. EI Vado Reservoir had been constructed during 1930-35 <br />following a study made by the USBR in 1926-28 under a cooperative agreement with the <br />Conservancy District. The Court granted leave on November 11 and a Special Master was <br />appointed in 1936: Proceedings were conducted in 1936 and 1937. In March 1937, the parties <br />requested that the proceedings be held in abeyance until after October 1937 to give the States <br />time to conclude a compact. The Supreme Court approved this request. <br /> <br />The Rio Grande Compact Commission was therefore appointed pursuant to the 1929 <br />compact consisting of representatives of the three states and the United States and met initially <br /> <br />3-8 <br /> <br />(, :. <br />.' <br />~ , <br /> <br />.....1 ',-"I <br />. ...).L <br />