Contact:	Jennifer Honey, (505) 277-7759 Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
April 19, 2002 WATER RESOURCES PROGRAM AT UNM PRESENTS TALK ON UPPER RIO GRANDE BASIN WATER OPERATIONS REVIEW Gail Stockton, a civil engineer at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in Albuquerque, will discuss the “Upper Rio Grande Basin Water Operations Review: Draft Alternatives for Basin Water Operations,” Tuesday, April 23, at 5:45 p.m. in Dane Smith Hall, room 120. The talk is presented by the Water Resources Program at the University of New Mexico and is open and free to the public. Stockton will discuss the ongoing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review of the USACE’s Upper Rio Grande Basin Water Operation, which includes the Upper Rio Grande Water Operations Model (URGWOM), a project component. The review and the environmental impact statement will be a comprehensive system-wide review of the water operations activities, conducted under the existing authorities of the Joint Lead Agencies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, in the Rio Grande basin above Fort Quitman, Texas. These operations consist primarily of the storage and release of water at reservoirs. The review covers the headwaters of the Rio Grande in Colorado all the way through New Mexico. River operations throughout the Middle Rio Grande region could be impacted by the project. The USACE is currently engaging in public meetings over the baseline, “No Action,” alternative. For more information call 277-7759 or visit the website: www.spa.usace.army.mil/urgwops/default.htm. # # #

The University of New Mexico
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