|
<br />V':lU\J
<br />LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
<br />
<br />XXIX
<br />
<br />voir of the ownership of wllt.er which otllCrwise would spill from
<br />Elephant Butte and Cnballo Reservoirs. The first sentence in italics,
<br />which reuds as follows, is not correet:
<br />Althollgh the basic criteria. iI/eluding the deplelion 1'1l New 1\fexico, hat.c been
<br />varied in many of the studies, it i8 important to nof~ [hilt 80 long as the tCT1n.~ of .the
<br />Rio Grande compact are/ollowed, llle ditJiSl011. of waler be/ween Colorado, New JVeXlCo,
<br />and Te~a8 remain practically the same for ever,lI opera/ion.
<br />Ic is true that nny number of operations could be made for the 18-
<br />year period from 1925 t,o 1942, as suggested in pn,rn.grapll 165 of the
<br />Corps of Engineers' report, and t.hat during that period Colorado
<br />would utilize currently t.he same amount. of water. However, at the
<br />end of the period, the amount of water remaining in storage in the
<br />resen.oirs of t.be Sun Luis Vulley project" which would belong to
<br />Colol'lldo for subsequent use, ,,,"ould be Il1.atel'ially different. depending
<br />upon t.he crlt.cria used. Even between the several of tbe studies
<br />made by the Corps of Engineers ns mentioned hy t,bem, this amount
<br />varies as mueh as 400,000 acre-feet. Tlwrefol'c, the statement that
<br />II. >I< * division of wat.cr between Colorado, New .r..rcxieo, and
<br />Texas will remain practically the same for every operation" is not
<br />corre.ct..
<br />For the saIne reason t.he st,a.temcnt which rends as follows, which is
<br />in italics above, is not correct:
<br />A change in the crit.eria affcet.s only the division of wat.er in New M~xico
<br />between beneficial and nonhenefidaJ usc~.
<br />The type of operation nppurenUy most fuvored by the Corps of
<br />Engineers is Olle which would cause water to be held o\~er in t.he pro-
<br />posed reservoirs of the Middle Rio Grande project, one of such possible
<br />operations heing outlined in paragroph 166 of the Corps of Engineers'
<br />report which is quoted above. The holding OVer of watcr in such
<br />reservoirs which is not. <.:.rcdit water for Nc"... ~'Icx.ic-o find whieh is in
<br />no wav needed by New Mexico violntes t,he intent of the Rio Grunde
<br />compact on the basis of whidl the San Luis Valley project was au-
<br />thorized. It in efl'ect increases the aUlOunt of project storage as defined
<br />by the eompuet and increaseS the amount, of unfilled capacity a"aibble
<br />in Elephant Butte Reservoir, thus violating the spirit of tile compact.
<br />The relation between this unfilled capacity and the wuter stored in
<br />the reservoirs of the Sun Luis Valley project is the hnsis for some of
<br />t.he water supply on which that, project depends,
<br />The retaining of water upstrclUn as proposed in paragraph 166 also
<br />would mnkenlOre frequent, the times when l.he restrictin:~ provisions
<br />of urtieles VII nnd VIII or the compact, cited n bove, would become
<br />operative, t.hercby preventing t,he stornge by Oolonulo of wut,er in the
<br />resef\~oirs of tlte lluthoriz~u San Luis project, and at times causing t,he
<br />release of debit water which might subsequently become the property
<br />of Colomdo to the extcnt thnt it exceeded the unfilled capacity of
<br />Elephant. But.te Reservoir, or to the extent that credits accrued under
<br />the scheduled deli ,.ery of watcr,
<br />, The Wagon Wheel Gap Reservoir is intended for a long-time hold-
<br />over, It will take a long period of years he fore it is filled and tho
<br />water reverts to Colorado under the Rio Grande COInpact. The
<br />flmount of wnte.r Ill'ld oYer as debit water is extrcmely important.
<br />A study of st.J'l.'l'un-f1ow records sincc 1890 indicat{:'s t,hn.t. without
<br />ndclitionnl reservoir cOllst.l'udion auove and wit.h a release of 7g0 000
<br />acre-feet pCI' yelll', Elephnnt Butte Reservoir would have spille:i in
<br />
|