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Show 72 WAR FOR THE COLORADO RIVER river made at the time the Compact was written (1922) were grossly optimistic; development of engineering methods have led some to believe that the development of new projects once thought fantastic is possibly within reach, regardless of cost; and, finally, a Mexican treaty has subtracted from the stream twice the amount of water considered possible. Thus the prospect of an agreed settlement has steadily become worse." In 1946, Shaw said, the Reclamation Bureau had recommended scores of new projects, but had admitted that there was not enough water "available in the Colo- rado River system to permit construction of all the po- tential projects outlined in the report and for full ex- pansion of authorized and existing projects." In this statement, the Bureau had recommended "That the states of the Colorado River Basin determine their respective rights to deplete the flow of the Colorado River consistent with the Colorado River Compact." Following this recommendation by the Bureau, Cali- fornia had made another attempt to find the basis for a solution of the conflict. Governor Warren of Cali- fornia wrote to Governors Pittman of Nevada and Osborn of Arizona suggesting that the three governors meet and endeavor to arrange for either (1) negoti- ation of a compact, (2) arbitration, or (3) a judicial determination. Governor Osborn replied that the rights of the three states already had been determined and nothing further need be done, Shaw told the committee, and continued: "Something should be done." Then he outlined California's plan. Under the Supreme Court's own ruling, a suit to settle the contro- versy could not be entertained by it unless the United |
