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XXIV LETTER OF TRANs~rrTTAL There is a marked similarity between the present proposed plan and the former proposed plan A which contcmpJll!ed hydroeleet.rie energy. AetuaHy, the present pIlln would provide gl'cn.tcr eapucity th,m wos assumed would he provided hy plan A because of usable bunk storage, which suosequent.!y WliS fOllnd will be uruilnble at t,he ChiOo site, Since it does not appear that the Cllifto Res(,l'voir site COll be justi- fied for nood-controJ purposes alone, it is c\~ident t,hnt that site Rhould not, IJe uuthorized for construction until it, is ddlnitely determined that. the three erite!"il1 which the Corps of EI-lgillcers'stipulated itS having to be snti5nrd to estnhlish the feasihilitv of hvdroeleetrie power develupment lue sat.isfied. ~. The fIrst cl'it{~rin is the watertight.ness 01 Chiflc, Reservoir. That, of course, eRn only be estimated in the nbscJ1L'p of t.h(' eOllstruction fmd operation of the l:eservoir by furt.her geologic L'xplurI1Lion. Under t,h~ second erit.erin. it. is suggcstc'd that morc rt.:~fincd wut.er- suppJ.v st.tu]jps should be mode in ordcr to det.ermine whet-her t.he wutel' supply is ndequittc for power g(~nC'ratioll. ~lany watm'-supply studies have be81l mode over n period of years in connection with the current investigation. No additional wnter-sllppl:y dllt.il arc flsailnhle. Therefore, no substantial refinement of thcsp. st,udies is lJossible. The detailed studies mnde bv t.he Bureau of Reelnmntion of the probflblp eonsllmption of wate}' in t.he middle Rio Grande arefl., nfter it is rC'.hnhilit.at,cd in accordance with t.he proposed plnn, disclose that. a gross amount of only about 15,000 acre-feet of water per annum will he salvaged. Former studies ill connection with the plan to gC'nl~l'fl.te hyrll'oelect.ric ent'-I'gy indicntrd 1.11:11, the ndditiollol reservoir eVllpUl'l1tlOn caused hy the holding over of water for sueu purposes would iLmount t.o some (jO,OOO fLcre-feet. 11, would appear, (,herdorf', at this t,imc thnt refined water studies would not chnnge the eonclusion that. sullie-ient. water is not available to perInit the gcnerat,ion of energy, Only by t.he operntion of the rehahilitated mi,lclle Rio Grande irrigat.ion projeet cnn t.here be det.ermined the lIeLual amount of wfLter (,hnt will be salvnge..l beeallse of tbe rc-hnbilit,at.ion. The third eriterill fixed ~ by the Corps of Engineers on whieh the fensibiIit.y of the gp.nprfLt.ion of energy derends is. possible flltrllJ'e changes in t.he Rio Grande compact. In the water-supply studies attempts to operate the proposf~d reservoirs for the ~encrfition or hydroelectric ellergy indicated plainly (.hat. they cannot be so operatrd su~C('SSflllly nnd comply with the provisions of t.he eompact. It is not known what changes to the compllct t.he Corps of Engineers have in mind to permit Buell operation. It is ccrt.nin t.hfit nny [=;uhst.antive changes in the compnct would be yery diffieuIt. to bring uhout.. Such changes would require the ratificat.ion of the legislatures of t.lle three affeded States and the approval of the Congress, Und~r present construction costs, or under prewar co~st.nIction costs, It would uppcnr thnt. t.he Ogenel'3t.ion of hydro('Ject.nc PIlcrgy would not be eCOlwmicllJ]V fCflsihJc p-ven if the three criteriu fixed by the Corps of Engineers were all sat.isfied. The estimnt.e of annu,;l cost of t.he ~enerfition of energy os given in the Corps of Engineers' report. is as follows: Chiflo__ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ~ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _.. __ _ _ ___ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ $9))2,03\) Chama___ .__________.____._____________.____________________ 22~818 To!.al_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ __ __ ___ _ __ ______ _ __ _ ___ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ I, ] 75, S5~