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Show September 34, 1946 Honorable Harold L. Ickes [Secretary of the Interior Washington, 2. G. Mr. Secretary? Some months ago you entered into a contract with the State Arizona, vhoreby Arizona was to receive as her quota 2,800,000 acre feet of water out of the Colorado River. I am very anxious to get more in-4 formation regarding that contract. Therefore, I nay subsequently ask you other questions in addition to the one contained herein. , Naturally, I assume that any part or all of the 3,900, acre feet of water, which Is Arizona's quota under that contract, might be taken out of the river above Boulder Dam, if it was to Arizona*s advantage to do so. Am.; I right in assuming that the contract covers 2,800,000 acre feet of vater annually for Arlrona in "consumptive use" If so* that leads up to my main question, which 1st If any part of this 2,800,000 acre feet should be pumped out'' of the river or Lake Mead and used on land for irrigation where the re- » turn flow would coae back into the river, would there be any "credit" fq\ computed to Arizona trader the contract To illustrate -*• supposing water were pumped out of Lake Mead tc irrigate land in the Detrltai Valley or the Hualpal Valley, where the return flow would go right back Into Lake Mead, could the amount charged against Arizona's quota of 3,60C,0'X acre feet be reduced by the amount of such return flow? What would be the return flow in that case? These two areas are adjacent tc Lake Mead. The water which might "be Applied there would be vnxt on land within n Tew miles of the Lake's shore line, and naturally, a large percentage of the water so used for irrigation would bo return flow. Of course, I am not an engineer, but I can see that the percentage of return flow would vary in each case, and I presume it would depend upon evaporation in the locality and maybe some other factors. • Mr. Secretary, I am riving a lot. of thought to the life and death matter of Irrigation In ay stsWw"'It is a hard and cruel fact that there is not only aore land needing writer than we have water for, bufc that we ha^e overdeveloped eone of the ezittlr- projects to the extent that's they could use all of the water w« have contracted for without any beinfc put on new lrnda. If I were edding to Senator J-icT^rlnnd* s report in whiah he suaned vip the findings in fo^ar word* - these four words bolnc, "Arizona needs aore vater", I vould add four .aore words - "Ariioca neads aore water npfi n#ed,a li &?¥."• Von, I am told that wnter cannot te com- |
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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] : |