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State Enters Compact Restrictions on Rio Grande
Media Contact:
Mary Perea, (505) 462-3576, mperea@uc.usbr.gov
For Release: August 24, 2005
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Bureau of Reclamation was notified by the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission on Wednesday that the state has again entered Article VII restrictions under the Rio Grande Compact.
The compact prohibits storage of water in reservoirs above Elephant Butte built after 1929 when the combined level of usable project storage water in Reclamation owned Elephant Butte and Caballo Reservoirs falls below 400,000 acre-feet. An acre-foot is enough water to meet the annual needs of two U.S. households or 326,000 gallons.
The storage content was about 399,900 acre-feet on Wednesday morning.
Only El Vado and two Santa Fe reservoirs fall under the restrictions. However, Reclamation officials said the restrictions will have no immediate impact on their El Vado Reservoir because its inflow currently isn’t high enough to allow storage.
"We anticipate that the water levels in Elephant Butte and Caballo Reservoirs will again rise after this irrigation season ends," said Jack Garner, acting area manager for Reclamation's Albuquerque Area Office.
The state was under the Article VII restrictions from July 2002 until May 2005 when water levels at the reservoirs rose above 400,000.
The Rio Grande Compact is an agreement between Colorado, New Mexico and Texas on the management of Rio Grande water. The Interstate Stream Commission ensures that the state complies with the compact.
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