Order No. 31.

1. A. WHEREAS the United States district court for the district of New Mexico handed down a decree on May 9, 1933, entitled "The United States of America, plaintiff, vs. Hope community ditch, et al, defendants., no. 712 Equity" defining the rights of the several parties to the use of water along the Pecos river in New Mexico and some of its tributaries, and
2. B. WHEREAS, on the 6th day of May, 1935, said court relinquished jurisdiction of said cause to the state engineer, and
3. C. WHEREAS, the district court for the fifth judicial district of the state of New Mexico handed down a decree on June 7, 1931, in cause No. 5144, defining the rights from Pecos river, exclusive of Black river, for the lands below lake Avalon and north of the Texas New Mexico boundary, and
4. D. WHEREAS, certain water rights along Black river were defined by the district court for the fifth judicial district in cause no. 112, by decree issued January 3, 1912, and by certain court orders related thereto, and
5. E. WHEREAS, in order to properly distribute the waters of the lower Pecos river in De Baca, Chaves and Eddy counties, New Mexico, the employment of a water master in and for said sub-district of the Pecos river stream system is necessary;

6. F. NOW, THEREFORE, I. John H. Bliss, duly appointed and qualified state engineer of the state of New Mexico, in accordance with Section 77-301 New Mexico Statutes, 1941 Annotated, do hereby declare the lower Pecos sub-district of the Pecos river system as hereinafter described to be a water district in the state of New Mexico for the purpose of administration and distribution of the waters thereof. The limits of the water district subject to the jurisdiction of the water master are as follows:

   (1) the Pecos river from the mouth of Buffalo creek in township 1 south, range 26 east to the New Mexico-Texas state line,

   (2) Salt creek below the mouth of Cienega del Macho;

   (3) Rio Felix downstream from Hagerman canal;

   (4) Rio Penasco downstream from the west line of township 18 south, range 26 east;

   (5) the Black river stream system.

7. G. WITNESS my hand and official seal this 1^st day of July 1952, John H. Bliss, State Engineer.

   [Recompiled 8/30/02]