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Show APPENDIX C PRESENT AND FUTURE QUALITY OF COLORADO RIVER WATER AT LEES FERRY By JOHN H. BLISS, New Mexico State Engineer and New Mexico Member of Upper Colorado River Commission Introduction This report has been prepared at the direction of the Upper Colorado River Commission at its meeting in Denver, Colorado, October 30, 1954, to answer some of the questions which have been raised as to the quality of the water of Colorado River at Lees Ferry which can be expected to result from the consumptive use of water by projects constructed under the Colorado River Storage Project and Participating Projects. The authorization of the Initial Phase of this project is currently being sought in the Congress of the United States. The writer is indebted to the Quality of Water Branch of the U. S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Department of the Navy, the Rubidoux Laboratory of the U. S. Department of Agriculture and the International Boundary and Water Commission for the basic data contained in this report and to a number of individuals of wide experience in the quality of water field for their advice and technical assistance in its preparation. The Problem The Colorado River Compact of 1922 apportioned the waters of the stream system between the Upper and Lower Basins, the division point being at Lees Ferry near the Utah-Arizona State Line. The Compact provided that 7,500,000 acre feet of water annually could be consumptively used by the States of the Upper Basin above Lees Ferry, provided that certain quantities were left in the stream for use in the Lower Basin. It provided for the beneficial consumptive use of 7,500,000 acre feet annually in the Lower Basin plus the right to increase this consumptive use by 1,000,000 acre feet per annum. It also provided under certain circumstances for the allocation of any unapportioned waters of the system which might be available for new uses on or .after October 1, 1963. As of the date of the original Colorado River Compact, approximately 2,050,000 acre feet of water on the average was being consumptively used annually in the Upper Basin and approximately 2,900,000 acre feet per year in the Lower Basin. Between 1922 and the date of the Upper Colorado River Compact, 1948, uses of water in the Upper Basin actually dropped slightly. However, including prospective uses by presently authorized projects, the present annual consumption will be about 2,400,000 acre feet. Uses in the Lower Basin have substantially increased during the period, being about 5,030,000 acre feet by 1938. Under Initial Stage development in the Upper Basin, including Glen Canyon and Echo Park Reservoirs and the 12 participating projects whose authorization was sought in the several bills before the Congress last year, consump- -23- |
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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] : |