The state of New Mexico does hereby ratify, approve and adopt the Animas-La Plata Project Compact, which is a [as] follows:

ANIMAS-LA PLATA PROJECT COMPACT

The state of Colorado and the state of New Mexico, in order to implement the operation of the Animas-La Plata federal reclamation project, Colorado-New Mexico, a proposed participating project under the Colorado River Storage Project Act (70 Stat. 105), and being moved by considerations of interstate comity, have resolved to conclude a compact for these purposes and have agreed upon the following articles:

ARTICLE I

1. A. The right to store and divert water in Colorado and New Mexico from the La Plata and Animas river systems, including return flow to the La Plata river from Animas river diversions, for uses in New Mexico under the Animas-La Plata federal reclamation project shall be valid and of equal priority with those rights granted by degree [decree] of the Colorado state courts for the uses of water in Colorado for that project, providing such uses in New Mexico are within the allocation of water made to that state by Articles III and XIV of the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact (63 Stat. 31).

2. B. The restrictions of the last sentence of Section (a) of Article IX of the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact shall not be construed to vitiate Paragraph A of this article.

   ARTICLE II

   This compact shall become binding and obligatory when it shall have been ratified by the legislatures of each of the signatory states.

History: 1978 Comp., § 72-15-1, enacted by Laws 1969, ch. 57, § 1.

ANNOTATIONS

Bracketed material. — The bracketed material was inserted by the compiler and is not part of the law.

Compiler’s notes. — Both P.L. 90-537, by which the congress of the United States approved this compact, and the Colorado River Storage Project Act (70 Stat. 105) appear as 43 U.S.C. 620 et seq.

63 Stat. 31 is codified as 43 U.S.C. 617l.

Law reviews. — For article, "Native American Water Rights: Efficiency and Fairness," see 29 Nat. Resources J. 763 (1989).

Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 78 Am. Jur. 2d Waters § 310.

Constitutionality, construction and application of compacts and statutes involving cooperation between states, 134 A.L.R. 1412.

93 C.J.S. Waters §§ 170, 183, 188.