OCR Text |
Show -13- that before any money is appropriated for the construction of the dam or power plant or any construction work done or contracted for, the Secretary of the Interior must make contracts for revenues to be received from the sale of power and for the storage and delivery of water sufficient to pay within 50 years from the completion of the dam the cost of the project, interest and operation and maintenance of the project. The act also provides that if during the period of repayment there should be revenues in excess of the amount necessary to meet the periodical payments, interest and maintenance, then after such settlement, there should be paid to the States of Arizona, and Nevada each 18^4% of such excess revenues. The act seems to be based upon what we described as the Seven States Compact, and provided that it should not go into effect for six months after its passage to allow the seven states to ratify the Seven State Compact, and if the seven states did not ratify, then until six states should ratify it, including California, which state was required to agree (by an act of its legislature) with the United States for the use and benefit of the Colorado River Basin States, that the aggregate consumptive use of water should not exceed 4,400,000 acre feet of the 7,500,000 acre feet of waters apportioned to the Lower Basin States by Paragraph A of Article III of the Colorado River Compact, plus not more than one-half of any excess or surplus waters unapportioned by said compact. The Act further provided that when the government had been repaid for money advanced to build the project, then all revenues should be used in the River Basin States. So far as the act provides, Arizona's 18^4% from the excess revenues would cease when the government is repaid. |
Source |
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] : California exhibits. |