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Show 315 VI. Claims to Water in the Tributaries There are five principal tributaries of the Colorado River in the Lower Basin. They are: the Virgin River System, the Kanab and Johnson Creek System, the Little Colorado River System, the Bill Williams River, and the Gila River System. All but the Gila River make regularly recurring contributions to mainstream supply.5 Inflow from the Virgin and Little Colorado Rivers and from Kanab Creek is stored in Lake Mead. Inflow from the Bill Williams River is impounded by Parker Dam and stored in Lake Havasu. The Gila River empties into the mainstream near the Mexican border, and there is no dam capable of impounding its inflow. The controversies arising over tributary water may be divided into two general categories. First, there is the controversy between mainstream states and tributary states regarding rights in tributary supply.6 California expressed concern in this litigation that increased uses on the tributaries will decrease mainstream supply. The mainstream state-tributary state controversy is treated in subdivision A of this section of the Report. Second, there are controversies among the tributary states inter sese. These controversies, which concern the Virgin, Little Colorado and Gila River systems, and Johnson and Kanab Creeks, present the usual questions that arise in the traditional equitable apportionment suit. They are dealt with in subdivision B herein. Present tributary uses do not exhaust the available water supply in any of the tributaries, except the Gila River System; therefore the considerations that apply to the Gila differ from those applicable to the other tributaries. For 5See Part One, pp. 119-123. eIt should be noted that two states, Arizona and Nevada, are both mainstream states (i.e., they share in mainstream supply) and tributary states (i.e., their tributaries contribute to mainstream supply and users therein divert water from the tributaries). |
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Original Report: State of Arizona, complainant v. State of California, Palo Verde Irrigation District, Imperial Irrigation District, Coachella Valley County Water District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, City of Los Angeles, California, City of San Diego, California, and County of San Diego, California |