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<br />VALLEY WATER DISTRICTS
<br />
<br />The primary proponent of the Closed
<br />Basin Project, and holder of the water
<br />rights associated with it, is the Rio
<br />Grande Water Consclvation District
<br />(RGWCD) headquartered in
<br />Alamosa. This district was authorized
<br />by the Colorado legislature in 1967 in
<br />response to the suit filed in the
<br />Supreme Court by Texas and New
<br />Mexico in 1966 to protest Colorado's
<br />underdelivery of compact water. f'Or-
<br />mation of the RGWCD reflected the
<br />state's desire to establish a strong
<br />water management and development
<br />entity in the San Luis Valley to help
<br />counteract growing pressure for the
<br />creation of a federal watermaster who
<br />would administer use of the Rio
<br />Grande in Colorado to ensure com-
<br />pact compliance.
<br />
<br />The Rio Grande Water Conservation
<br />District, which encompasses five of
<br />the six counties in the San Luis Valley,
<br />set to work building drains to salvage
<br />irrigation return flows and to lobby
<br />for the Closed Basin Project. It cur-
<br />rently operates on a budget of about
<br />$200,000, most of which is raised from
<br />property taxes, The RGWCD's pri-
<br />mary functions include assistance for
<br />local channel maintenance work,
<br />ground water monitoring in conjunc-
<br />tion with the U.s. Geological Survey,
<br />and participation in general water
<br />management activities in the Valley.
<br />
<br />The San Luis Valley Water Conser-
<br />vancy District (SLVWCD) is another
<br />entity in the area encompassing a
<br />large service area and carrying valley-
<br />wide influence. The SLVWCD was
<br />formed in 1942 to pursue the Wagon
<br />Wheel Gap Project authorized by
<br />Congress, but the district went into
<br />dormancy when the project failed to
<br />receive federal funding. In the 1980s,
<br />however, the SLVWCD reactivated in
<br />order to pursue innovative ways of
<br />meeting growing valley water
<br />demands. Its efforts have included
<br />providing imported water from the
<br />Colorado River basin to offset surface
<br />depletions caused by new wells,
<br />drilled primarily for subdivision
<br />development. The SLVWCD is also
<br />sponsoring a ground water explora-
<br />tion program to assess the feasibility
<br />
<br />of using deep wells (up to 5000 feet
<br />deep) for additional Valley supplies,
<br />Finally, the SLVWCD is trying to
<br />rekindle interest in a scaled down
<br />version of the Wagon Wheel Gap Pro-
<br />ject, with far less storage capacity and
<br />perhaps at a different site on the Rio
<br />Grande mainstem.
<br />
<br />Several other water conservancy dis-
<br />tricts have been established in the Val-
<br />ley to address discrete issues of local
<br />interest. For instance, the Alamosa-
<br />La Jara Water Conservancy District
<br />was formed to raise funds for fighting
<br />the State Engineer's ruling that area
<br />creeks were going to be administered
<br />to help satisfy the compact, Similarly,
<br />Costilla County voters created a con-
<br />servancy district in response to a con-
<br />troversial proposal by an outside
<br />energy company to export local
<br />waters in a coal slurry pipeline. Other
<br />districts, such as the Conejos Water
<br />Conservancy District, were created
<br />for the purpose of pursuing local
<br />water development projects either
<br />under contract with the Bureau of
<br />Reclamation or with private funds.
<br />Whatever the initial purpose for their
<br />formation, these districts have come
<br />to playa continuing role in water use
<br />and management in the headwaters
<br />of the Rio Grande.
<br />
<br />THE SPILL AT ELEPHANT BUITE
<br />
<br />1966 was the year that Texas and New
<br />Mexico filed suit against Colorado for
<br />not meeting Rio Grande Compact
<br />obligations during previous years.
<br />Although subsequent overdeliveries
<br />had reduced the 940,000 acre,foot
<br />debit to closer to one-half million acre
<br />feet by 1984, this accrued debit con.
<br />strained Colorado's water use and
<br />management options. 1985, however,
<br />brought significant snowpack to the
<br />Colorado Rockies and relief for San
<br />Luis Valley water users.
<br />
<br />Under provisions of the Rio Grande
<br />Compacl, all of Colorado's and New
<br />Mexico's accrued debits are erased if
<br />project storage fills to capacity. Due to
<br />plentiful 1985 spring runoff which
<br />followed several above average water
<br />years, Elephant Butte "spilled" on
<br />June 13, 1985. The lawsuit against Col.
<br />
<br />,pece~ber'}922Jj Corl'tractneg(:jtiations ar&
<br />:l;ol11pleted between the, Reda~<l~,ion$ervife
<br />r:atiq the~1 Paso V~ley ,Water liriproverrtent
<br />\P.:_Jst':kt#t for deli.v.. ~ry 6~ Elep~!,nt Bti~te '
<br />,,water to upto ?6.6,50 acres oHarmland in
<br />Texas.
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />THE~9MPACT ,
<br />FORMULATION PERIOD
<br />
<br />1923 . Colo:t:ado \-lnd New M~o l~gisla"
<br />tureseach pass statutes authorjzjng th,~
<br />_ 4~signation of a 'commissioner to purs:ue
<br />formtdation ofaninterstate compact for ~he
<br />Rio Grande. ,
<br />1925 "The' Sec'~~tary Of Interior rescinds the-
<br />189() moratoriu~ an? authorizes:'a^ diversion;,
<br />Jor aprdposedre~enioirin Colorado. ' .
<br />," 1925 ,'TheMidd.l~ Rio Grande Con,serva:~cy
<br />t)!s,trictis organizedin New Mexi~q tb,
<br />d~velqp a p,lanfor the reclamation;"irriga-
<br />:ti()n,a~dfloodptotectlon of the area
<br />~priyer of Eleph~t But~e,'
<br />~~26 . ',-Texas appoints a compacnonunis-
<br />si,oner.
<br />Oec:ember ;19,,1~28, Fir$'t,meetingof th~Rit{
<br />Grande Co,iupac~ copference takes place in
<br />~anta}<e.
<br />;~~ruaryU,~1?' >;A:ternp:drary Ri? Gr~nde '
<br />"~;c;oIl,1F!actis sign'e~ designedtorlfa~ta,il\the
<br />,'statwi quo. Major provisions of the tern;;'
<br />po!;artcompact ~clltde:' ','
<br />1 ..",.. ;., ...-' "".<_"~. '.. ,....' ,
<br />.. Th~:requiremeJ1ttllat e,<1ch ~,~ate shall
<br />, ;:p-t,.ul'ltttin streamJtQ}V gagirtgst~,tion~aDd'
<br />:exCh~ng~'recorcls ()f ll1easu~ll1ents.:;, '
<br />.~A statertietu.of inteIltthat the d~livery of
<br />w~~rto.Mexicois:alederal obligatiQrciU
<br />i.' A.fittdingthafa diSinageproject tosalyage
<br />,V,Water'from theqosed Ba~hl in:Color:fldo itF
<br />, ",:essetl~al;:asis'a;S,t.ateJi~e~eservoir.~i
<br />,,~""-~$tiPlllation that, n,eithert-i~w M;exjcol'lor
<br />'"C'o16ra.<ioshanin~reas~ div~islons or~tor.
<br />;i}ge'Qiwater 01\ the,Rio G~nde u~t,iI's\l81_
<br />time'jts th~,resultin~depletions areoff~t t
<br />"pydrainage projects. . . . _ .,1
<br />f'~'ProvisionsJorthe creation of a Compact
<br />::~On\mission that Will permahe1:ltlyaI);d
<br />rA.~tably apportioI\ the Rio Gta~c!_e.
<br />
<br />'1~30 'I.J:S~ C:~SU$ shom; thefollowfug
<br />an1oun~~ of irrigah:!,d <lc~age in t~e upper
<br />Ri<? Gra~deb;isin:'Texas:-79~:rooaqes; New
<br />'Mexico.,38P,pOO acres; COlo!'ldo-550,()()(l
<br />a:cres.
<br />
<br />19~ Constructiort begjns on t,he,floodcqn-
<br />, troll drainage, and irrigationprojed:s of thet
<br />.' .\Vfjddle Rio.GrandeCohservapcyDistrict.
<br />
<br />; . ~#ly 1930s..,Efforts fail:jn C6~~SS to
<br />, !?l:#irl"Wnding lor th~Clo~~dBasinProject
<br />} in,:Sol/;lrado~: Part~a,l f!Jn~ingi? offered by the
<br />yitb1k Works Administration, b~t with con,.
<br />ditionsattachedwhich Colorado finds '
<br />upacceptabt~. ." .
<br />
<br />December 1O,193J' ''J:beRio'Grande Com~
<br />Filet COmmission cpnven~st6begin for~
<br />;.,mulatinsapet'manl!ntcbinpact. .
<br />
<br />J~tliuY:l93S .. Commission acljou",s after
<br />f. passin~n(e:soh.1tion to extendtl1e temporary
<br />t ,compacfexpiration date from June)935 t9.
<br />; jufif1937,
<br />'" '. .",- . '." . : " .. :'~
<br />OctOb~r 1935 Te;qts files suit in the
<br />S4P~enle Court against New,M~ico'an<i. the
<br />Ml~dleRip q~ande Co:nservang' Distric.ti
<br />~,~~png enjoinder of diversio~s tha,t '"
<br />i. all~g~qlY diD:linjsh the quality and qua~lity
<br />t of water available from EIepha1Jt Butte;
<br />
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