AUTHORIZATION: Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) 2000, amended by WRDA 2007 and Public Law (PL) 110-161.
TYPE OF PROJECT: Ecosystem Restoration
PROJECT PHASE: Feasibility
NON-FEDERAL SPONSOR: States of Texas and New Mexico
BACKGROUND: The Rio Grande Basin is located in the states of Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, and encompasses an area of over 160,000 square miles, from the headwaters in central Colorado to its mouth on the Gulf of Mexico near Brownsville, TX.
Water conveyance and delivery, ecosystem degradation, and flooding are major issues in the basin. Water supply and flood control in the Rio Grande Basin fall under the management and jurisdiction of an international treaty and several Federal, State and local agencies. The study will identify ways to integrate the programs, policies, and resources of all concerned agencies into a multi-objective water resources plan.
· Phase 1 provided information on groundwater in the Rio Grande between the San Acacia Diversion Dam and Elephant Butte
· The “Forgotten Reach” watershed study (Phase II) outlined existing problems and opportunities and identified potential solutions to the salt cedar and salinity problems in this reach (El Paso, TX to Ft Quitman, TX).
· The “Salinity Management Study” San Acacia, NM to Fort Quitman, TX (Phase III) is documenting existing salinity data and information, developing a baseline salinity budget, identifying critical data gaps and developing salinity management alternatives and conducting a detailed assessment of economic damages.
· The Broad Canyon State Park Watershed Assessment (Phase IV) study area is located on the main stem of the Rio Grande in Dona Ana County in South Central New Mexico and will provide recommendations for ecosystem and watershed management measures.
· The Pecos River Watershed Assessment (Phase V) study is evaluating salinity issues along 926 miles of the Pecos River from Santa Rosa Lake, New Mexico to the confluence of the Pecos River and the Rio Grande, Texas.
STATUS: The study was funded in Fiscal Year 2012.