ALBUQUERQUE BERNALILLO COUNTY
WATER UTILITY AUTHORITY
BILL NO. F/S R-22-9
RESOLUTION
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Authorizing Negotiation and Execution of an Agreement between the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, and the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority to Facilitate Retention of Native Rio Grande water for the six Middle Rio Grande Pueblos in Abiquiu Reservoir
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WHEREAS, Congress authorized the Secretary of the Army in the Act of December 29, 1981 (P.L. 97-140, 95 Stat. 1717) to store up to 200,000 AF of San Juan-Chama Project (SJCP) water in Abiquiu Reservoir; and
WHEREAS, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (Water Authority) has the right under a contract with the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to store up to 170,900 acre-feet of SJCP water and has acquired fee simple land and easements from private landholders surrounding Abiquiu Reservoir to facilitate water storage up to sea level elevation 6220' and
WHEREAS, Congress authorized the Secretary of the Army in the Act of October 24, 1988 (P.L. 100-522, 102 Stat. 2604) to store 200,000 AF of Rio Grande system water in lieu of SJCP water authorized under Section 5 of P.L. 97-140; and
WHEREAS, Congress authorized the Secretary of the Army in the Act of December 27, 2020 (P.L. 116-260, Sec 337), which amended P.L. 97-140 and P.L. 100-522, to concurrently store native Rio Grande system water and SJCP water in Abiquiu Reservoir up to elevation 6230.00 NGVD29; and
WHEREAS, El Vado Reservoir is utilized by the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) to retain native Rio Grande water for, among others, the Federally recognized native Rio Grande Prior and Paramount (P&P) requirements of the six Middle Rio Grande (MRG) Pueblos; and
WHEREAS, Reclamation commenced Safety of Dams (SOD) Corrective Action construction on El Vado Dam which w...
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