Cochiti Dam was authorized under the Flood Control Act of 1960 for a construction cost of US$94.4 million. The act was further amended in 1964 to allocate water resources for the development of fish and wildlife resources as well as recreational resources. of water was allocated under this amendment for initial pool fill and sufficient resources were allocated to offset annual evaporation losses. This water was to come from water previously diverted into the Rio Grande system by Public Law 87-843 of 1962 from water in the Colorado River basin via the San Juan-Chama Project across the Continental Divide.