The general assembly hereby ratifies the compact designated as the "Animas-La Plata Project Compact" to which the consent of congress was given by Public Law 90-537, section 501 (c), approved September 30, 1968, by the senate and house of representatives of the United States of America. Said compact is 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; 43 U.S.C. 620) 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
The right to store and divert water in Colorado and New Mexico from the La Plataand 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 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).
The restrictions of the last sentence of Section (a) of Article IX of the Upper ColoradoRiver 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.
Source: L. 69: p. 1231, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 149-13-1.