WSP06217

• File Number: 8510.100.60
• Description: Rio Grande Compact Commission
• State: CO
• Basin: Rio Grande
• Date: 3/18/1999
• Author: USDOI/BOR
• Title: 1998 Report to the Rio Grande Compact Commission
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

1998 report to the Rio Grande Compact CommissIon

Bureau of Reclamation

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MIDDLE RIO GRANDE PROJECT, NEW MEXICO

EI Vado Dam and Reservoir Operations

EI Vado Reservoir storage at the beginning of 1998 was as follows:

Rio Grande Water: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44,458 af

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San Juan-Chama Water:
Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,506 af
Department of Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,667 af
City and County of Santa Fe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,753 af
City of Espanola ...................................... 5,002 af
Twining Water and Sanitation District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 76 af
Village of Los Lunas .................................... 296 af
Town of Taos ......................................... 390 af
Public Service Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,660 af

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San Juan-Chama total = 65,350 af

Total San Juan-Chama plus Rio Grande = 109,808 af

The State of New Mexico began 1998 with no debit, per the Rio Grande Compact,
which allowed for a portion of the total Rio Grande inflow into EI Vado to be captured
during spring runoff to benefit the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD).

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EI Vado was filled and the reservoir reached a maximum elevation of 6,899.95 ft
(179,691 af) on July 30. The maximum natural storage was 70,146 af on June 23. EI
Vado Reservoir ended the year at an elevation of 6,872.80 ft (106,082 af). A summary
of EI Vado Reservoir operations can be found in Table 9.

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The MRGCD offered a part of their remaining storage space in EI Vado to the City of
Santa Fe, in order to store Santa Fe's 1997-waivered SJ-C allocation of 5,605 af.
Delivery of this water was made in May. The maximum total SJ-C water in storage was
110,159 af on May 12. The total SJ-C water in storage at the end of the year was
85,746 af.

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On June 15, the MRGCD began using SJ-C water (by borrowing water from the City of
Albuquerque in Abiquiu) to supplement its irrigation needs. On July 10, the MRGCD
began to pay back the City of Albuquerque in Abiquiu with its SJ-C water stored in EI
Vado. At this same time, MRGCD also began to use some of its SJ-C water stored in
EI Vado to meet irrigation demands in the middle Rio Grande valley. In 1998, MRGCD
used a total of 39,960 af of SJ-C water for irrigation. In order to assist Reclamation's
Endangered Species Act water management activities, MRGCD managed its diversions
to maintain calculated flows in the Rio Grande by allowing a portion of native water to f
Alemain in the f1oodway. Reclamation provided an equal quantity of 47,333 af obtained j
'/ifrom various SJ-C contractors to MRGCD. .
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