Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br />4 <br /> <br />0011Dl <br /> <br />i:/~;~':' <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br /> <br />Abiquiu Dam and Reservoir on the Chama River in New Mexico. PHaro BY PAUL LOGSDON. <br /> <br />THIS GUIDE PRESENTS <br />information about how <br />decisions are made to manage <br />waters of the upper Rio Grande <br />region, extending from the head- <br />waters in Colorado to a point just <br />south of EI Paso, Texas, It is here <br />that conditions leading to the Rio <br />Grande Compact arose, and under <br />the compact the area is managed <br />separately from the lower reaches <br />of the river, Most people concerned <br />about water in this region know <br />when an issue close to home has an <br />immediate impact: flooded fields, <br />the washing out of irrigation works, <br />lost recreation opportunities <br />because of dry riverbeds or low lake <br />levels, too little water for crops, ris- <br />ing groundwater tables, destruction <br />of spawning grounds for fisheries, <br />uncontrolled releases of sewage <br />effluent. But it is difficult to under- <br /> <br />stand how decisions made about <br />storage in northern New Mexico <br />can affect farmers in West Texas, or <br />how a federal compact commission <br />can have an effect on farming for an <br />acequia association. <br /> <br />In this brief sketch of the Rio <br />Grande, we try to make clear the <br />connections between the regional <br />and the local, the federal laws and <br />the small irrigation associations,. the <br />big dams and the fisheries. What <br />are the criteria by which decisions <br />are made to hold water in reser- <br />voirs? Who makes those decisions <br />and how do they affect downstream <br />users? Who are the major players <br />and what are their concerns? How <br />do technical water decisions affect <br />the Indian tribes and traditional <br />Hispanic water users? What are the <br />pressures on the existing system to <br /> <br />change and adapt to newly defined <br />needs? <br /> <br />The guide presents first an <br />explanation of the key institutions, <br />laws and decisions in the form of a <br />journey down the river from its <br />headwaters in Colorado. Weaving <br />together history and current issues, <br />Chapter II tries to integrate basic <br />information to help the reader see <br />the big picture of water manage. <br />ment throughout the region. Fo!, <br />lowing this, we present in graphic <br />form the process for decision- <br />making under the extreme condi- <br />tions of flood and drought. The <br />specific points of decision. making <br />and criteria for decisions are sum- <br />marized in relation to geography of <br />the basin, the authorities of the key <br />institutions and the relationships <br />among those institutions. Chapter <br />