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<br />XVIII
<br />
<br />LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
<br />
<br />orca Ilhov(~ Elephnnt But,t,e R(~servoir in rl'-spcet, to Illl impro\'ed wnt,(?'1'
<br />supply a.nd in the reduction of flood dn.mnges by t.he opera Lion of t,he
<br />Snn J:llis Vn.Iley project, find (4) the bellefit, t.hat will neel'ur to [,he
<br />nl'ca between El~phallt But.tc' RBsel'voir find Fort Quit,man, Tex., hy
<br />the OI)(;,rnl.iOfl of the San Luis Vil:Jlc~' projnct.. .
<br />The Rio Grnnde. one of t.ll.~ pnw'lplll stJ'enms of the westerJl UJlJtcd
<br />States, is nIl int.erst,a t,e find int(~l'lln tiowd st.I"(~l1m, It rises ill t,he
<br />Stnk of Colorado ltIld Mows fol' u distance of 180 miles to tile Cotol'lldo-
<br />New :\,[('xit.:o State linC', lInt! thellce sout.ltw:ll'd for fl di3tlln/~e of slight,ly
<br />over 400 miles ncl'oss the St,ute of New t\'lexico. From Ow point
<br />whe,rl\ it ICfiv('s Nt'w l'\'lc:xico, t,he l'iv(~r forms the bOllndul'Y bet,wCClII
<br />Texn:-: find the U(~IHlblie of ~'I('xieo fol' II distllIH.'t' of ubout ] ,2!j0 mil(.'s
<br />to it,s mouth. Tbe t.ob\\ lp-I\gt.h of t,1I1.'_ l'jyel' \~ ubo\lt 1.800 mil 1-':-:..
<br />Til(, sn-(',fill(~d upper Rio Gmnde Bin.r ext.t'nds frmll t.lit' ht,ad\".nl('I's
<br />in ColonHlo t,o Fort QlIitIlHIII, Tt'x. From H p)lysit~.lil :"t,nlldpoillt, it
<br />en]} bp, con~iden~d ellti('(~ly st'pnmte from tlla. t l"l'llC.h of rivl~r helow
<br />Fort Quitnlllll, Tcx, Prnct.ielllly nil of the \\'nt.el' of t.he upper Rio
<br />Grande hilS lH:'LlJl eon~unwd b~" n~l tural proeess('s ond by ilTign tion fill'
<br />many venr:::..
<br />Dlh"l'- to liB iJltl'l'llutionnl situotion which dcvclop(:d ill tlIe lu~t
<br />'~cntllry Hlld CUIIllilIULt-'d in Llle 189U's, fin embargo \;,'fiS placed upon
<br />the ('on.st.rllct.ion of l"esclToil's in t.he basin. The emhargo 1rJ1s not
<br />lifted until 1925. In thn lllNlllt.iml.', the ElcpllaJlt Butte R(~sel'\"oil'
<br />WIIS cOHstrlld,ed illld phlCl~d in opel':ltio1l ill 1 nIl) t.u insure t,he flllfill-
<br />nwnt of 11 treatv negotin tetl with .Mexico wliieh !w(':lnw eft'cet,ivt:' ill
<br />1906, dud \\-.hid~ g-wl~i'l1rJt.l~e,:; to ~'Iexico 110,000 lUTe-feet. of wut.eI' JWI'
<br />yem-. Elephant Blit.tu Reservoir :d::;o pro\"idl'S n \\'Iltl~r supply 1'01'
<br />uhollt 170.00U acres of lawl ia the l~llit(:(l States_
<br />111 t.he hegirmiJlg of Uw 18!j()'s ilnd l?x({'wling tip t,iJr<mgh the J S90's,
<br />large irrigllt,ioJl d(~\'t'I()pm(,.1lt took plHcr in the Silll Luis V:lll('~T_ in
<br />Colomdo. VP.l',v little lIew cluyelopnwJlt lins bd\:l~n plfice in the Sun
<br />Luis Vnlle)' since 1890. The irrigation :::ystt'IllS COl\St.rlictcd up to
<br />that t.ilI1(~ and the f(~w syst..~m:-::. wllicll hi\Yi-~ bren huilt sinee 1800 now
<br />irrignt,(! somet.hing o\'(~r~1100,000 urn's of Ill]]tl. It. hoeonws nppnnmt
<br />in the] xno's tlwt rCst~n'()irs would be required to ~t.n bili7.e tlH' dcn.lop-
<br />mrJlt t.hnt, hnd bef:'l} hroug)]t, flhollt, b.y t.)w npPl'oprinting' of UH' dil'r('t
<br />flow of t.be st.reams. Due t.o the I.'mbnl'go, t.hose l'e:-3t'l'\'oil's could not
<br />he huilt. Aft.I.'r t.he nmlllll'go was lifkd: it was not pos~iblc to build
<br />them on aecount of t.be intt~r~t.f1k sit\l3tioJl.
<br />Aft~~r n long serics of .~onfl'l'ellc('.s Slid fifter t,ll(~ eon Sl1lll IllU tion of fi
<br />lpmponlry eOlllpnet in 1929, II pt'rmn.ncnt, t'ompnct WfiS ]l('gotinkd ill
<br />19~8 by l'epn:stmtllti\"l.'s of t.he StlLte~ of Colorndo, New i\l.~xito. ilJld
<br />T('XllS. Tile COT1lJ)lwt !wrllllle eff(~di\'t' ill 19;3!). Tlw compnct WllS :=iO
<br />de~ig1Jed fi" to }K'rmit the eO'-lstrud,joJl of rU5enoil's obo\"(. Eil'plwIlt
<br />Butte llnd t.he olwrntion t.hereof wit.hi I c(:rlnin limits. Bv 11 Syst.rIH
<br />of ('redits nnd d(~hit~, it. is possihle lIJldt'l' the CUlllp~lrt. foi, re_~e'r\"oil's
<br />{',Orlst.fup-b,d ~bon~ Ekphnllt Butt(~ t.o store wntl~l' which Intel' ('un
<br />beeome the pruperty of the 8tn te in whil'h the r(,St~l'\.oir is lo~ntetl if
<br />such WiI tel' \\"01l1t1 oUlL'l'wi:-;e he spill(~d frolll thl-' EI(~JlIJlJllt BIIUL' ulld
<br />Cabnllo HI.'seI'voirs. 011 t.!l("l basis of Hw jJl'oyisiollS of the cUlIlpnet,
<br />thp, San Luis Vfllley pl'OjPt.'t \\l1S fillt,llOrizcd by Lhe COllgl'(:~S in 1940.
<br />The pruj'~et t'oHsist.s (.If \VllgOJl 'Vlwel Gap Reser\"oir with n C'ilpneity
<br />of 1,000,000 ncn.-feet. on tbe Rio GJ.tlJl(Jc nnd one or two rt'scnoil's
<br />on tile Conejos. OUe reser\"oir, t.he PhI tOI'O on the COllejos, Illls
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