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Mexico which obligated the United States of America to deliver from the Rio Grande to the United states of Mexico. sixty thousand acre- feet of mj!1;_~JII"'Y- _~_~orever, whereby in-ora:er~6--filIfill-that prolidse the United States of America, in effect, drew upon the States of Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas a draft worth to them ma!:1Y liJ.:Lllions of dollars, and thereby there was cast upon them an obligation which should be borne by the Nation; "(d) That for the econCllllic development and conservation of -~ the waters of the Rio Grande Basin and for the fullest realization of the purposes recited in the preamble to this cOBg?act it is of primary im,portsnce that the area in Colorado known as the Closed Basin be drained and. the water thus recovered be added to the flow of the river, and that a reservoir be constructed in Colorado upon the river at or near the site generally described as the State Line Reservoir site. The installation of the drain will materially augment the flow of the river, and the construc- tion of the reservoir will so regulate the flow as to remove forever the principal cuases of the difficulties between the States signatory hereto; and "(e) That in alleviation of the heavy burden so placed upon them it is. the earnest conviction of these States that without cost to them the United States should construct the Closed Basin Drain and the State Line Reservoir described in paragraph (d). "The signatory States agree that approval by Congress of this com,pact sbaJ.l not be construed as constituting an acceptance or approval, directly, indirectly, or impliedly, of any statement or conclusion appear- ing in this article. ~ A firm forecast of the period. of time that would be required for Colorado to achieve debit-free status under the Com,pact by delivery of salvaged waters to the Rio Grande cannot be made. However, on the basis of available data concerning historical streamflows, present hydrologic conditions, and operation of the Compact, a period. of at least 35 years would be required; and continued annual delivery of about 59,200 acre- feet of salvaged waters to the Rio Grande for Compact credit would be required to maintain Colorado in a debit-free condition. In such event, pum,ping of ground waters could be reduced to result in salvage of only the amount of waters required to maintain Colorado in a debit-free status or additional uses of Rio Grande flows in Colorado in the amounts surplus to Compact requirements could be initiated to mitigate water shortages which currently are experienced in the San Luis Valley or for potential new developments. If such identifiable uses of salvaged waters in Colorado are undertaken, arrangements. should be made'with the identifiable beneficiaries for payment of appropriate portlons of the costs of the Closed Basin water salvage features. The plan provides that the water salvage features would be operated and maintained by the Bureau of Reclamation as a unit of the San Luis Valley Project. 5 (- .... ..... ,. .". '~ . ,., ..... . 0(.{ '- ~