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Show COLORADO RIVER WATER RIGHTS Appendix C Executive Office, Stateiiouse, Phoenix, Art:., March 12, 19'f~. Hon. Earl Warren, Governor, State of California, Sacramento, Calif. My Dear Governor Warren : I have your letter of March 3, addressed to Gov. Vail Pittman and myself, concerning the report of the Bureau of Reclamation on the development of the water resources of the Colorado River Basin. I presume from your letter that you have completed and sent to the Bureau your comments on the above-mentioned report. I, too, have furnished the Bureau with my comment and am enclosing a copy to you herewith. It will be appreciated if you will furnish me with a copy of your report. Ever since I have been Governor of Arizona I have endeavored to cooperate with all other States in the Colorado River Basin in all matters of common interest. Arizona has at all times been represented on the Committees of Fourteen and Sixteen, whose name has now been changed to the Colorado River Basin States Committee. Arizona is now represented on the Colorado River Basin States Committee, which committee, as presently constituted and as heretofore constituted, has been very helpful in all matters affecting the interests of the respective States in the Colorado River. Arizona is now cooperating in plans for the utilization of Colorado River water in the respective States within the allocation of water available to them. I will be pleased to meet you, or with you and Governor Pittman, or with the governors of other interested States, to discuss all matters of common interest to our respective States. All seven of the Colorado River Basin States-Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming-five of which States are still represented on the Colorado River Basin States Committee, are parties to the Colorado River compact which apportions the water of the Colorado River System as between the upper basin and the lower basin and to Mexico. The compact contains provisions which make utilization of water over and above the apportionment made by the compact of interest to all of the States of the basin. Portions of Utah and New Mexico are in the lower basin and are entitled to share in the apportionment made to the lower basin and in the use of any available water which is unapportioned by the Colorado River compact. California, in consideration of the passage by the Congress of the Boulder Canyon Project Act and as a condition precedent to the taking effect of that act and the construction of Boulder Dam, Imperial Dam, and the All-American Canal, by chapter 16, California Statutes, 1929, entered into a statutory agreement with the United States and for the benefit of each of the Colorado River Basin States, irrevocably and unconditionally limiting California's claim to water of the Colorado River to 4,400,000 acre-feet per annum of the apportioned water, plus not more than half of the water unapportioned by the Colorado River compact. The quantity of surplus water, that is, water unapportioned by the compact, varies from year to year and is subject to further apportionment by agreement between all of the compact States after 1963. Arizona recognizes the right of California to use the quantity of water to which California, by the statutory agreement, is forever limited. Arizona recognizes the right of Nevada to use 300,000 acre-feet of apportioned water per annum, plus one-twenty-fifth of available unapportioned water, subject to further apportionment of the unapportioned water by agreement between the compact States after 1963. Arizona has a contract with the United States for delivery for use in Arizona from the main stream of the Colorado River, subject to its availability for use in |
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Original book: [State of Arizona, complainant v. State of California, Palo Verde 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, defendants, United States of America, State of Nevada, State of New Mexico, State of Utah, interveners] : |