WSP05769

• File Number: 8543.200
• Description: Projects in the Closed Basin
• State: CO
• Basin: Rio Grande
• Water Division: 3
• Date: 12/9/1960
• Title: Report on the fish and wildlife resources of the Closed Basin Division
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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and other vegetation. The salvaged water is to.be delivered along
a conveyance chemne I to' the Rio Grande and thus perml tde 11 very of
additional Rio Grande flows to the States of New Mexico and Texas
in accordance with the provisions of the Rio Grande Compact.

This report is based on water-salvage plan Number 2 which provides
Tor two proposed national wi ldllfe refuges as project features,
It Is our understanding that the present plan contemplates salvaging
about 100.900 acre-feet of water annually. of which about 85.800
acre-feet will be salvaged by pumplngground.water and 15.100
acre-feet will be salvaged by providing outlets for surface water.

Pump I ngoperat ions wi 11 beca r r I ed on through the ent I re year In
order to maintain the ground-~ter levels at least 8 feet below
the ground level over selected areas totaling about 109.000 acres.
This will effectively deprive the native vegetation of moisture
over a large area and will regularly deliver a flow In excess of
100 second-feet of water to the Rio Grande at.a point about 10
mi les southeast of A lamosa . Colorado.

The.existing channel of Saguache Creek will be modified along a
5-011 Ie stretch frO,l11 the east .boundary of the proposed Mishak Lakes
National Wildlife Refuge to Colorado Highway No, .17. The channel
capac i tywlll be about 40 second-feet .

A .main conveyance channel. about 39 miles long. will be constructed
beginning where Saguache Creek .crosses Colorado Highway No. 17.
thence southeast along the west sIde of San Luis Lake and south to
the confluence of the Rio Grande with La Jara Creek. Outlets wi Ii
be provided at the lower end .of the main channel to provlde.water
for the proposed Alamosa National WildlIfe Refuge.

I n the area south of Sa" Lu I sLake. It is planned to sa 1 vage on I y
the better quality water moving toward .the .sump from the east side.
The salvaged water wi II be carried north Into Sa.nLulsLake. The
Initial capacity of the collecting channel wi 11 be 10 second-feet,
gradually increasing to 52 second-feet at the south end of the lake,
An equalizing channel. about one-half mile long with a capacity of
217 second-feet, will be constructed between the west side of the
lake and .the .maln conveyance channel. Thus. all salvaged water
will be collected in the main conveyance channel near San Luis Lake.

About 129 wells and pumps and 92 miles of lateral canals will be
constructed to carry the .salvagedwater to Saguache Creek, the
main conveyance channel, and the San Luis Lake channel, The later-
als will vary In capacity from 0,6 second-foot to 20 second-feet,
There will be no wells along the .main channel below San Luis Lake
to the Rio Grande,

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