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<br />;;~1?_ruary,19$7Supr~ineCoUrt~,rriisses
<br />,;'reXils'-l:\uit file? in,Octo~l~?lduetoJ~e,
<br />~.~bS~tt(;~'of.:~he PIlited States asa~ind~l'eD~
<br />Sibie,p<U:ty.'::,"-' .. @!if ifi 1m i$j
<br />f,r,1?e~~,Mb:~r1965 Colorado'sab:r~~d _<l~bi~
<br />,:s,:a~q~at~,~?:,?OO:af., Jf: .. "','l~
<br />,Qcto~r~':~66" J\Je~J.;texkoand Texasfi(e
<br />::sl,!i_th~the Supreme 'C6u~agai~st Coloradp
<br />h/?r_'~!eged violation of the cOWf~ct~$1~~ tJ;
<br />:tcM,aY:J968 Following neg~tiat,~ms~-~t\:'le~~,. F'
<br />}' the,;s~tesrthe 1966 case isstayedQP the con-
<br />;:ditl~n that Colorado hereafter meets its
<br />-,f:.O)J:npa,?d~1ive~ req~irernen~s _~ach year.
<br />:19~~( Congress'aut}{orizes th:i'Oosed Basin
<br />':Pr,oject f()r salvaging the '~aterjn the~an"
<br />,:Ll1i$:VaIley of Colorad() and deliv~ring it to
<br />.,Jhe:RioGrande::Annual de1iverie~are
<br />'iexp~cted to exceed 100,000 af. ,",' 'l'~
<br />~{*\igtl~rir;5, The colorado;Stat~Engine~r
<br /><<promulgates ndes gove,rnipg the adminis?\' 't
<br />'f'f:tatiCln',of w.aterrlghtsin the~o Grande' .
<br />{__h~,~~l}9fC~!or~2?;~ IO':lglegalpattle ~,h
<br />,,;~nsu,eB: ;,({ ~ __. n;
<br />111-.-,,", ":<<-:',,,, ,,__,._':','_.
<br />1,~7~~,' N~~N,eXico and 'C6Ior~,dCl consis~;
<br />;.tf;',N!y-~el~y,~r:~~ter in<\~C()rp.a~~with '
<br />t,'a~d~l,c~mpactre,~,llFetTl~nt~<
<br />;'p~c~~bel' 1983:'Th~'(:olor:aOsup~~1
<br />GO~I'!,jssu~,~i~~opini9ni stt'll<ing' d~
<br />~:,:m~~y,prqYi?!9~,S t?fthe stat~~'nwne~r's: tilles'
<br />!(or;,n~gula~~l,1g wate:l'right~ intheSati.L~is ~
<br />,:,~Pe,Y;:/['I1~~urt!i~~;!h~~L ' "f'" ',' ';i
<br />:: ~,',:JfP~ra,tea9ministi'ation,t?ftheF?riejos
<br />,':. ' -~~iv~rahdthe,,~o9rat;l<lel11aiilstem for ~
<br />~'e9ppact B~o,se% is,la~\?I:~,
<br />t:, -",-,::'-"',:' ,', ''':", ",-:"" ': ,'''.-, ',' "",'" ,~" ': "'')' ~,1
<br />'.,A1am()~a,La Jara~ _an~Tri!1cbei:asreekS--;
<br />CaI),~}Ot.~~:ildnU,fli~tere4i~prde:r:to.meet~
<br />c?~}'a,~;!~_~uU:~tn~nts. ...1E~. "
<br />~'.>$~tuOrS9;~afe~tjg~tsii,~ J)9t)t:rict1y'pro':;t
<br />. .'~cfe:q,~'tn interJereil~~"l?Y juni9rw~1l
<br />Bl1pl~,i'{\g; duet?:the:n'!?eotopromote lZJl
<br />'tllax~tfp\ut~izati()tl.ofaU:theregi~n's':
<br />,wa~t,sppl'-Y,~?': ~ ~ ~iNi
<br />k"~~iing:,1985,/~~~s~~Jtal seaSOri~ot~~avy
<br />:I'.ruhOff;J3Jep~antButte~and CabaIloreserlfj 1-
<br />.~'votr$,fiqitOCi\pacity". _ .
<br />'. C".,-,"':,. I~i'%..-, .....' . i.J{
<br />,1ulY~f:19~ ~~::c5-mipactcommlssion
<br />U1~ts,'.~nd,_gete~ine,s ,~at an/'aetual,spill'l'
<br />~oIll)~lephant B,~tte o9curred onlune,~,
<br />J985"tltereby elir(linating th~_ac~,"!te'd wat_er
<br />;~ ... (f~pitspf Coloradi) and New MeXico. .'~~
<br />; ','--'., ..'" !(~ ." ~e,:r,<1ll . .....:....,,-1-)
<br />::_"Slt,~~1',1-985..... ~torage,p{~cesS'WCl!er~in
<br />~:<g9chi~:andAbiquiu,r~,~ervqjrs cty~te~"con:
<br />j_tJ:?ye,r?y anqproblemswith high.Yfater,.
<br />\ levels; , . i'i i(". ',," !iffl . fc~j,\--;'t)Q
<br />, " "<'w:r,~"
<br />::.,6~1l~r,198_~ 'Wate~i(d~livered fr~~)l1e
<br />}....,g:19s~pBa~0~Project.to the~,? (;t"~nde;~~
<br />_~~~k~ tlte completio~ pf the;#,arly stages of
<br />m~WoJect' '.' .'. _, '^ ',-" .', '., "'~
<br />>;~o~e~b~~'1985. ;,'NewMexic{),~olorado)
<br />;: ar1T~sjointlyfj].eastipu4l.ted'll1otion-to'
<br />'!fi~;,J1nit~ ,?ta~es SUpfM1eCourt f.oi.dis~i
<br />i-mjss~ro~~the:l966 cO,mpl~Ilt,against m;l~
<br />/Colorado:" fij . . !:t;: .,
<br />:'<">ii(
<br />;M~J.i'3,1?86' .:The C:ornpaCtCoItUnissl~n
<br />';,4~~e~}hat arothet "actuaISpiU"
<br />'::'.occ~r~~~<?rl this~atr 'fE: . . ".:' ,'.,
<br />,~,Jatt~an;:l, 1987,~~-J~~"thh:d ye~~ in~' r,ow,
<br />S~tl/'a~t~a,~~pilltl~9ccuis atEI~ph'a"rtBu,!~~:.. '.
<br />,.--J4,n~ary::U;'1988 ;A fOUJ'th "spilt. i~ deter.::"
<br />1:Ji1in~::?y. the Rioqi~ndeCompactCom~
<br />I}"\i~sion. W! j'!fr
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<br />11'
<br />
<br />Shortly after passing the Otowi gag.
<br />ing station, the flow of the Rio
<br />Grande enters the reservoir con.
<br />tained by Cochiti Dam,
<br />
<br />The waters of the Rio Grande are put
<br />to intensive irrigation use down-
<br />stream of Cochiti Dam. Irrigators in
<br />the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy
<br />District are the primary usersl includ-
<br />ing members of several Pueblo Indian
<br />tribes. Municipal and instream flow
<br />uses are also prevalent in this region.
<br />
<br />In many areas of lhe middle reach,
<br />the Rio Grande bears little semblance
<br />to the river it once was. Drainage pro-
<br />jects, channelization, levees, and
<br />other flood control measures have
<br />changed the face and the course of
<br />the river. Despite these alterations,
<br />the riparian habitat along major por-
<br />tions of the middle Rio Grande
<br />remains ecologically important. One
<br />of the world's largest cottonwood
<br />groves persists in this area, while the
<br />Bosque del Apache and other wildlife
<br />refuges are critical habitat for birds
<br />and wildlife,
<br />
<br />The physical setting of the Rio
<br />Grande and its tributaries in New
<br />Mexico is indeed complex. This com~
<br />plexity becomes compounded when
<br />looking at overall water use and
<br />management in the region.
<br />
<br />IRRIGATION AND
<br />DRAINAGE EFFORTS
<br />
<br />The first recorded water users within
<br />the New Mexico portion of the Rio
<br />Grande basin were the ancestors of
<br />Pueblo Indians, Local irrigation net-
<br />works were used to bring essential
<br />waters to crops that were used for
<br />food supplies as well as for religious
<br />purposes. Water use and manage-
<br />ment decisions were based on custom
<br />during this era and were handled on
<br />a local level.
<br />
<br />Irrigation activity within the region
<br />grew significantly in the 1700s as new
<br />settlers arrived from the south, bring~
<br />ing a system of water allocation based
<br />on Spanish law. At the heart of this
<br />system was the acequia association.
<br />The mayordomos, as heads of these
<br />community ditch associations, were
<br />the primary water managers who
<br />
<br />enforced the respective rights and
<br />responsibilities of local acequia users.
<br />
<br />Water use and law became increas-
<br />ingly complex with the influx of set.
<br />tlers that followed the establishment
<br />of the Territory of New Mexico by the
<br />United States, By the 1870s, more
<br />than 120,000 acres were under cultiva-
<br />tion along the middle reach of the Rio
<br />Grande. In order to administer water
<br />rights, the New Mexico Legjslature
<br />established the Territorial Engineer's
<br />office in 1905, The role of the territory
<br />and later the state, remained one of
<br />simple administration rather than of
<br />management. Water resource
<br />management did not begin in earnest
<br />in the New Mexico portion of the Rio
<br />Grande until the 1920s, when users
<br />along the river found their lands
<br />being ruined by drainage problems,
<br />Due primarily to waterlogging, farm-
<br />land in this area had dropped from a
<br />high of around 120,000 acres to 40,000
<br />acres. In 1925, the Middle Rio Grande
<br />Conservancy District (MRGCD) was
<br />established to confront the problem.
<br />
<br />The MRGCD is a long, narrow district
<br />extending no more than a few miles
<br />on each side of the Rio Grande. Its
<br />boundaries begin at Cochiti Darn and
<br />stretch 150 miles downriver to the
<br />Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge,
<br />The local residents voted to establish
<br />the District pursuant to a 1925 New
<br />Mexico statute which authorized the
<br />creation of water conservancy dis-
<br />tricts to develop and manage the
<br />state's water resources, Such districts
<br />were deemed public bodies and were
<br />given the power to levy taxes on
<br />property within their boundaries.
<br />
<br />The MRGCD was created for three
<br />main purposes. First, the District
<br />undertook drainage projects to lower
<br />the water table, drain marshes, and
<br />rechannel the river in order to reclaim
<br />waterlogged farmland. Second, the
<br />District consolidated over 70 ditch
<br />headgates into four major diversion
<br />points and centralized the irrigation
<br />network of canals and ditches. This
<br />was accomplished, however, through
<br />the elimination of scores of local ace-
<br />quia associations. Third, flood control
<br />measures were initiated to protect
<br />farming and other activities along the
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