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<br />COlil,!) '. I. , ~~~,
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<br />In CoIorado,.,state contf()~ of wa~r ., Texas has the most centralize~ apwoa,~l"v; ,I
<br />resource:~ is~_~iv~d~d among th~:e entities. to water ~.e_glliati~,~.,Th~, Te~s Water~, ~'
<br />First, the Division of Water Resources, " 'Commission,~~'9_oted abQtre,regulat~s ",i "
<br />j headed by the Colorado State Engine~r;- is water qtalitY'~s'4~ll~swa,te~ rightsanQ,'
<br />l"esponsible for surface water adrninistr~. brings undet<?ne~ge,ncyadminigtration}l"
<br />tion _and for the permitting of wells. State of, mo?t, water"quality. programs: TheTexas.;(3
<br />water courts also playa significant ~Jc, as De"partment of Health o.vers~esd_ri.~~ng\; .'-
<br />~~:ery application for ~ew or modified water progr~ll1siand the Texas Ra~;oad ~
<br />waterrights in Colorado must be adjudi- Commission handles ""ater qu,a~it~ pro- . .
<br />cated~;F,~ally~ the Coloraddo I-\ifaJ3ter Con- grams relating to n;1nin~. ".~ j;" fA.r:~, ~l:~
<br />servahon Board, compose 0 mem- L' k b. tw'f "'l'ty'.' i\<
<br />bers from around the state, wa~ created by' Int s, .e ht eea w~ ~r:i~ 1. re~.u a. ~on',i
<br />t.he'-legislature to aid 'in the protection and \~a er ~~gd tSha ~mtelS a Il?t9'dw~-t~r .p, an-f
<br />d. ,.,.' II' d' mngan 0 erwa r~re a e aClvltlest>
<br />evelopment of state waters In or er to th t t" . h' d t h . h' . .t';,s., is;;
<br />. . " :~ esaesareaCIeve fOtig.Jom.'par7-'
<br />secure the greatest utilization of such t" t'" 'f' ffi . 1 f th cliff ., t.W,.
<br />\\raters." - lClpa,lon 0 0 CIa s ro~ eifj eren,'~
<br />agencies on regul~tory' ~oards, ~uchas
<br />the water qualitycommissionsof New...;
<br />Mexico and Colo~ad?,_QnlYJexas,has" i~
<br />,kI:pught thes~tunctiot;'~ ~gethet irt~~ln~.
<br />g~~ agency Wi-achieve gr~ater co,~l~~~a.t~;?n
<br />in' 'policy deyelopment. .,,!fit .
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<br />
<br />The Colorado State Engineer appoints a
<br />Division En'gineer, headquarter~d in
<br />Alamosa, to administer water rights and
<br />to assist in managing waters in the Rio
<br />Grande basi~ \:'Iithin Colorado. SimilarlYI
<br />a. water co~rt iri Al,amosa has jurisdiction
<br />'to h?ar all ~trastate water matters arising
<br />in this region. Water:,administration in
<br />'I'€xasis averse'en by a three me~berTexas;"
<br />Water C:ommissjcHfappointed by th~ ,~\,
<br />gover~?r.,,~J~e ComWission hai~jurisdic.,. ,
<br />tion?verthe'l.ssuance of~vater rights per"
<br />mits, watsr quality COIitt'9l. gtol,ln(Iwater
<br />pro~ams,- ~nd other' components okstat~
<br />water, management efforts. Water devel-,:
<br />opment and consc'rvation activities are' !Ii
<br />taken under the':direction of the Texas .
<br />Water_~evelopment ~o.aid,
<br />
<br />lli.a_r~gi6nof'scarce suffal,:e w~ter sup.
<br />plies,-regulation of water qua1it~ is espe~
<br />cially ip'~px:tant;Eas.h of the three st~tes
<br />of the upper basin has a complcxarrayaf
<br />programst~,~t ~et quality s~'andards for'
<br />surf~ce streams and groundwater a,~d.
<br />thati~suepermits for discharges in~q
<br />_these).v-aters,Suriace water quality stan~
<br />dards'are established in Col~rado by the'
<br />>>,ater Qttality ControlCommission, ::rhis
<br />eleven,memg.er body is responsible for
<br />establishing'the overall waterquality~con-
<br />trol program of the statei'promulgatihg
<br />regulations and issuing pennitsfor the
<br />dischil:rge of wastes, The state Depart.
<br />irie~t of Health piovide~~administrative
<br />staff to carry out the programs and
<br />enforce the .regulations of the com-
<br />mission.
<br />
<br />-NeW1vfexico uses a similar system. Its
<br />Water Quality Control Commission sets
<br />-?t'ream s~andards and promulgates regu.
<br />lations for most water quality programs"
<br />but all-administrative functions are car-
<br />ried out by the Environmental Improve~
<br />rilent Division of the Health anq Environ'7
<br />ment Department. ASul the'other states;'';:
<br />water quality :regulation is achieved .:-
<br />through a large number of independently
<br />authorizedprog;ams, including}h~.se to
<br />regulatedischarges into surface streams,
<br />hazllrdous waste, underground storage
<br />~ tanks; radioactive mill tailings and the
<br />J, proviSion of watc~ through public'supplfl
<br />systems;{
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<br />ffl:1 {~
<br />INDIAN GQVERNMENTS
<br />.., '~' _'\i\4,'- ,'. :>'C
<br />Several,Puebls Indian trlbe~reside'wi,thin,
<br />the"upp~r Rio'Grande hasin; andcc)Ptrof,;!
<br />. significant amQUnts of land and_ water.
<br />?' '.' :r...... :..", """',' ....,"':i',;t
<br />Althoughxna1.lY legard:~t{l9<~~r;?~tq~g -'.; ..#]
<br />InSian.~ater~ight~"rem,a'itJ~~.hg:soly~dt~t :~
<br />isg~neiallYag,ree,d thattrib~~'ar,~entijle.fl,.~
<br />',cat <1, minimu'in/'t<? the'~m6unfof wat9-~'~
<br />necessa_1.Y to,~iiliill thep-Urpo5~sJor ~liiClL;
<br />the re~~r~atio'}"iY~~-:;~tab~~sh~dj~:'WeM',~,_~
<br />;ha;~eme.co~rt~l~~~n~J;;:ff.ir,~,e,;:
<br />
<br />Indian ttib"t;\s'are,'ul)Jque~w~ga-:&"
<br />ti.ons'gos's~ssI,~g"'~H~ib~tes~ol sgy~
<br />el$ntY:Dye.~ bo.~h ,~h~~r_t!1e1X,l!ier~ -~nd-W
<br />?I theirte'rHtci,!yr"t~ey~r~fa uslf~~iite~
<br />pe9pl~~~"p.o_s-~;~ssing~the..po~~r ot:;! !Ii;
<br />,regulating: their iI~ternal'and}9~j~
<br />rel~tions." --:~
<br />,il,< .' It.'. ..... _ . r;',
<br />1his cOl)cept9f triba~sov~~e:,~gnty J?'y~r~~ .~
<br />reservation activities has liee~ fOn;efu1ty.<
<br />" applied in reJationshipto natUrar:~"~"6 ,
<br />". . .'. .'," ',.,,:.-;,."....:.,'<',..,."';
<br />re~,ource~~ ~,p,~,,!!I,~algovermnents are, r.,i
<br />~~r~B;~inglyilss:erting n;an~gem~nt,r!l.. ~"
<br />atitnorityoverreservation ~aters;;!\I_s_()'~;~ .
<br />sinc~:'water is a mobi~~reS01,trc~,~hat~,i'i(;
<br />knows no political b~undarie$, anul11b~r
<br />of tribal a~dst~te"go~~E!\(nents'in th~':.'i~~'
<br />West are.exploring,ways'9fcooperati~e.ly., "
<br />~ddr~ssil\g,pollution proble~~,g~~~.ind,. ~
<br />water deplehons(an~ otheqomt maJ)~gE;~~
<br />mentconce!ns~ A,S wa~},~, qtlality a,~~ ",'
<br />quantity proble~sbecome;mor,:,~cutkin iii'
<br />theRio Grand~'~~~,ip.' p:ue?~:() go,:,erri}}.., J;
<br />men~smayC{),me',to:pl~y _a' greater r?lc ~,n,
<br />basiIWvid~ w,ater fnanagement. (See-". >"1,
<br />Chapter IV for fut*erinformation about
<br />thi_$Jndia'n role.)""'" :1 ~ ~ ~
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<br />t!".!\>.: ~';., . "_ '. .... ~
<br />SEEGle.UWATER.DISTRICI'S"",
<br />',.' . ':",,' ~
<br />,ManYvviiter:.distr~~ts hay~ p>eenJol1l1)~ in
<br />th~ upper Rio2t~ndc~a~i,n in on;t~~ ..~ ':; ~
<br />provide, an orgfnization,al,~tructure~apa~:'
<br />ble()fLaisingreve_~u~,qnqpr9vi~wg'. ' M
<br />management authoiitY,9v~r.-th~cont~olI'
<br />and distributionaf w~t~t(primarUy ifriga-
<br />"p!', ~" , ." ""
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<br />mer releases of their EI Vado water to
<br />coincide with weekend recreational
<br />use on the Rio Chama,
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<br />ELEPHANT BlJ nE
<br />TO FORT QUITMAN
<br />
<br />THE WATERS that pool in Elephant
<br />Butte Reservoir have generally trav-
<br />eled through a maze of physical struc-
<br />tures and political institutions before
<br />reaching their destination. The jour-
<br />ney, however, is far from over. Nor '
<br />does the complexity of the physical
<br />and institutional setting decrease
<br />during the downstream course into
<br />Texas. In this reach, the Bureau of
<br />Reclamation controls releases that are
<br />influenced by irrigation needs,
<br />hydropower schedules, and flood
<br />control considerations. The Interna-
<br />tional Boundary and Water Commis-
<br />sion then steps into the picture in
<br />order to ensure deliveries to Mexico.
<br />EI Paso also has a rather large hand in
<br />the setting through its attempts to
<br />appropriate ground water from
<br />beneath New Mexico. The analysis
<br />begins, however, with a single con-
<br />crete structure through which the Rio
<br />Grande flows on its downstream
<br />journey to controversy and beneficial
<br />use.
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<br />
<br />ELEPHANT BUTTE
<br />
<br />Elephant Bulte Dam rises 300 feel
<br />above the Rio Grande bed, 125 miles
<br />upriver of EI Paso. Congress author~
<br />ized its construction in 1905, with the
<br />U.s. Reclamation Service (now the
<br />Bureau of Reclamation) claiming all
<br />unappropriated flows of the Rio
<br />Grande for the project shortly lhere-
<br />after. The structure was completed in
<br />1916, and storage of Rio Grande flows
<br />began in order to fill its more than 2
<br />million acre-foot capacity.
<br />
<br />The reservoir is designed for the
<br />annual release of water for the irriga~
<br />tion of 160,000 downstream acres and
<br />to meet the 60,000 acre foot annual
<br />delivery normally owed to Mexico
<br />under the 1906 international agree-
<br />ment. Fifty seven percent of the
<br />irrigated acreage lies in New Mexico
<br />and 43 percent in Texas.
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