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PUBLIC LAW 92-514-OCT. 20, 1972 Public Law 92-514
October 20, 1972 [S. 520]
Reclamation Project Authorization Act of 1972.
[86
STAT.
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AN ACT To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to construct, operate, and maintain various Federal reclamation projects, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Cnited States of America in Congress assembled. That this Act shall be known as the Reclamation Project Authorization Act of 1972. TITLE I '
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CLOSED B A S I N DIVISION, SAN L U I S VALLEY P R O J E C T, COLORADO
43 USC 371 note.
33 USC 1151 note. control system.
SEC. 101. The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to construct, operate, and maintain the closed basin division, San Luis Valley project, Colorado, including channel rectification of the Rio Grande between the uppermost point of discharge into the river of waters salvaged by the project, and the Colorado-New Mexico State line, so as to provide for the carriage of water so salvaged without flooding of surrounding lands, to minimize losses of waters through evaporation, transpiration, and seepage, and to provide a conduit for the reception of waters salvaged by drainage projects undertaken in the San Luis Valley below Alamosa, Colorado, in accordance with the Federal reclamation laws (Act of June 17, 1902, 32 Stat. 388, and Acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto), and as otherwise provided in this Act, for the principal purposes of salvaging, regulating, and furnishing water from the closed basin area of Colorado; transporting such Avater into the Rio Grande; making water available for fulfilling the United States obligation to the United States of Mexico in accordance with the treaty dated May 21, 1906 (34 Stat. 2953); furnishing irrigation water, industrial water, and municipal water supplies to water deficient areas of Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas through direct diversion and exchange of water; establishing the Mishak National Wildlife Refuge and furnishing a water supply for the operation of the Mishak National Wildlife Refuge and the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge and for conservation and development of other fish and wildlife resources; providing outdoor recreational opportunities; augmenting the flow of the Rio Grande; and other useful purposes, in substantial accordance with the engineering plans set out in the report of the Secretary of the Interior on this project: Provided, That no wells of the project, other than observation wells, shall be permitted to penetrate the aquiclude, or first confining clay layer. (b) Construction of the project may be undertaken in such units or stages as in the determination of the Secretary wall best serve project requirements and meet water needs: Provided, That construction of each of the successive units or stages after stage 1 of said project shall be undertaken only with the consent of the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Rio Grande Water Conservation District of the State of Colorado. (c) The closed basin division, San Luis Valley project, Colorado, shall be operated in such manner that the delivery of water to the river and return flows of water will not cause the Rio Grande system to be in violation of water quality standards promulgated pursuant to the Water Quality Act of 1965 (79 Stat. 903). S E C 102. (a) Prior to commencement of construction of any part of the project, except channel rectification, there shall be incorporated into the project plans a control system of observation wells, which shall be designed to provide positive identification of any fluctuations
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