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<br />LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL <br /> <br />XXXII! <br /> <br />General views <br />The gl:'neral views of New IVIexico in regard to the reports and the <br />proposed dc\'clopmont of the middle Rio Grnnde area are as follows: <br />L The Rio Grnnde compact is the law of the river. It was nego- <br />tiated find fl,CTreed to in order to bring to nTI end the controversies <br />between t.he ~t.ates of Colorado, New l\Iexico, and Texas and to allow <br />each Stat.e the freedom to mnkc withiTl its borders whatever develop- <br />ments are possible within the allocat.ions of t.he compact.. New <br />~1exico considers the alloent.ions find obligations cren led thereby to <br />be inviolable, <br />The 1944 Flood Control Aet defines "affected State or St.lttes" ItS <br />tbose Stutes "\\'hich in whole or part nre bot.h witlJin the drainage <br />busin invohred find sit.uoted in t.he Statel:ring wholly or in part west <br />of t.}w ninet.:y-eight,h meridian." Thc ~tfitcs of Colorado, New <br />l\:lexiC'o, find Texns fall within thaL description. Howev{-'r, the State <br />of New 11exico seriously questions whether tt State whose rights in <br />the wat.ers of a rivcr han:> been determined hy a compact is any <br />longer nn llflft'ect.ed" Stnte. The rights of Colorado, New .l\lu:\.ico, <br />and Texas to tllC W8 t.ers of the Rio Grande Basin 'Were determined <br />nnd fixed nnd the eOIl truversies bet.ween t.hose Sl.t} tl'S were composed <br />aIld set.tled by t,he Rio Grnnd" cornpltcL The prefllce to that <br />compact states: <br />The State of Colurado, the Stale of ~ew j\Jexico, and t.he State of Texu!>, <br />r1esiring tu remove all ('U\l1"('S (If pre;,;ellt. and fut.me cOllt.ro\'er~y among t.hesp- <br />Htates and bet.ween citiz(,ll~ of Pile of t.hei-ic Slat.es awl citizetJ:' uf allot.her St.ate <br />\,-ith respl~ct. to the \II'll:: of t.he waters of the nio Grande above Fort QuitmaIJ, <br />Tex.. and beilJ,L!: Illo\.'(~d by p.on>iirlemt.ioll:-; of itlter:-;tate comity, and for the PUT- <br />pU::ie of e(f~e( ill); all eqllitablc apport.iullltH::'tlt. of such wat.er::;, hu\'e resolved to <br />conclude a compact, for t.he' atta.inmetlt. of t.hese purpuse::;- <br />and article XI of the eOIll]Jl1d stlttes that- <br />New I\f(:'xico nlld Texa" agrce that lIpOl1 t.lle effect.ive date of t.his compact all <br />cOlltroversies bet.ween !-'uid States relative to the quantity or quality of the <br />water of t.hE' Rio Grande are compused ancl settled; howenr, not.hing bert'in 5hall <br />be interpreteu to prennt, recourse hy a signatury State to t.be Supreme Court of <br />t.he United Statc:,; for rt'dre::-:-; :'ihould the eharacter or qualit.y of the water, at t.he <br />voint. of delivery', be changed thereafter by aile signatory State to t.he injury of <br />anot.ber. <br />If 81HI wlll'n, llceonlillg to or-t.ide XI of t.he compflct, the clH1l'neter <br />or quality of the wfiter, at. the point of dcli\Tery, is changed by one <br />signatory Stntu to the injury of nBother, the State so injurl'd Ilfls <br />recourse to t1H~ Supreme Court of tile United Stut.es. The compuct <br />does not provide for review of proposed water Uses prior to the injury. <br />2. The Rio GnlIldc eompact provides that deliveries of wntl'f to <br />t.he Stllte of Texns sholl be mnde at San ~-Iarciitl, N, ivlex. Ddiveries <br />at, San l'vlareial are for the bc,wfit of project Inll(15 hoth in New <br />Mexieo and Texns below the Elephallt Butte Reseno;!'. nOCl1USe of <br />that situation proje(:t lands ill New J'l'lexieo are protected by the <br />terms of the compnct equally with the Texas lands, Allocatiors of <br />water by the compnd are sufficient to provide for such lands. <br />3. The St.tlt.c of N"ew .:'vll'.xtcO cannot. permit lwl' wall'l' uses to t'xcccd <br />t.Jw IllloC'_nt.ion::,; of _t.hr.' compnct. Rlld iL i~ the duLy of t.he SLnLe of New <br />?\ICX~-CO ilnd llHlt Stutl~_ alone. to re\~i0\\. prospodi\.c wilter USe~ within <br />t.he Ln.t.C5 and ,t.o !'cst.rld llny or Rlluscs of water to the. ell(1 that, t.he <br />t.ern s of t.he RIO Gl'fLllde. compnct, will not. Iw yiolatc.d, <br /> <br />!)::!75ti-.Hl-3 <br />