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Show 218 UPDATING THE HOOVER DAM DOCUMENTS At the request of the State Department, each of the Governors of the seven Colorado River Basin States appointed two members to a reconstituted Committee of Fourteen to advise the State Department. The negotiations resulted in Minute No. 218 of the International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico. C. Minute No. 218 On March 22, 1965, a 5-year agreement, designated Minute No. 218, was concluded on practical measures to reduce the salinity of the waters reaching Mexico. Each side nonetheless reserved its legal rights. Under it, the United States took the following actions at a cost to it of $12 million: (1) Construction and operation of an extension to the existing Wellton-Mohawk Drain, so that the Wellton-Mohawk drainage water could either be bypassed around Morelos Dam (the Mexican diversion structure), or, at Mexico's option, received above Morelos Dam where it would be mingled with other Colorado River waters delivered to Mexico. (2) Construction of additional drainage wells in the Wellton-Mohawk Division which allowed selective pumping of the most saline drainage wells at times when Mexico would be bypassing Wellton-Mohawk drainage waters; i.e., during the winter months, and allowed the pumping of higher quality ground-water at times when Mexico would be using Wellton-Mohawk waters. (3) Replacement of a portion of the bypassed Wellton-Mohawk drainage waters, which resulted in the release of approximately 40,000 acre-feet per year of "stored water" from Imperial Dam in excess of the 1.5 maf/yr guaranteed by the Treaty. Under the above measures taken by the United States, the quality of the waters delivered to Mexico was improved from about an average of 1,500 p/m in 1962 to 1,240 p/m in 1971. Minute No. 218 was to expire in November 1970, but expressly provided for consideration of a new Minute after review of the conditions which gave rise to the problem. However, the Mexican officials did not want to enter into a new long term agreement in November 1970 since a new administration was assuming office in Mexico in December 1970. Minute No. 218 was, therefore, extended for a 1-year period (Joint release, Interior and State Departments, July 1972). Negotiations commenced in 1971 with the new Echeverria Administration. The United States, supported by the Committee of Fourteen, proposed a new Minute which would have provided Colorado River water to Mexico having the same salt concentration as would exist were the Wellton-Mohawk Division and all other projects in the United States below Imperial Dam in salt balance; i.e., the tonnage of salt in the drainage water originating from lands below Imperial Dam in the United States and delivered to Mexico would not exceed the tonnage of salt in the water applied to these lands. Under this proposal, average salinity would have been further reduced to about 1,130 p/m in 1973 (Steiner, "The Mexican Water Treaty - New Interpretations and Problems, 1973"). Mexico rejected this proposal because of the difference in quality between Colorado River water delivered to United States water users at Imperial Dam and the quality of the waters delivered to Mexico. Negotiations were discontinued pending a forthcoming meeting between Presidents Nixon and Echeverria. In the interim, Minute No. 218 was again continued (see Appendix 1301 for text of Minute No. 218). D. Minute No. 241 On June 15 and 16, 1972, Presidents Nixon and Echeverria met and on June 17, 1972, issued a joint communique. President Echeverria stated the Mexican position regarding the Colorado River as wanting water under the 1944 Treaty to be the same quality as the water delivered to United States users at Imperial Dam. President Nixon stated that "this was a highly complex problem and needed a careful examination of all aspects." He said that the United States was prepared to take certain actions immediately to improve the quality of water going to Mexico and would designate a special representative to find a "permanent, definitive and just solution of the problem," whose report and proposal, once approved, would be submitted to President Echeverria for his consideration and approval. |