News Release Archive

New Operating Agreement Approved for Rio Grande Project

Media Contact: Mary Perea Carlson, (505) 462-3576, mperea@uc.usbr.gov
Filiberto Cortez, fcortez@uc.usbr.gov

For Release: February 14, 2008

Elephant Butte Irrigation District and El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 today signed a new operating agreement for the Rio Grande Project. The agreement is now headed to the Bureau of Reclamation's Upper Colorado Regional Director for the final signature.

Reclamation had operated the project under modified procedures for more than a year while staff negotiated with the districts. The previous operating procedures were developed in the early 1980s by Reclamation but never approved by the districts. The Rio Grande Project supplies water to lands located in New Mexico and Texas and delivers water to Mexico by way of the International Boundary and Water Commission.

In accordance with the Rio Grande Compact, Reclamation will utilize an average yearly release from Rio Grande Project storage of 790,000 acre-feet as the amount needed to provide a full allocation to both districts and Mexico. An acre-foot of water is enough water to meet the annual needs of two U.S. households or 326,000 gallons.

The new agreement calls for El Paso No. 1 and Mexico to take their water deliveries at their river headings, based on historical river performance. Elephant Butte Irrigation District's allotment will be used to make up for any losses in performance of the Rio Grande in New Mexico. The district will also benefit from increases in the performance of the Rio Grande in making water deliveries to the various canal headings.

Each district will be able to carryover the current year's unused allocation and may accumulate a maximum carryover amount of 60 percent of the full allocation.

"It took a lot of hard work and cooperation to negotiate the important details of this agreement," said Larry Walkoviak, Upper Colorado Regional Director for the Bureau of Reclamation. "We are pleased with the outcome and grateful to all parties involved for their involvement and persistence."

The agreement is effective immediately and runs through December 31, 2050. The parties may modify provisions of the agreement if they reach unanimous consent.

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