OCR Text |
Show case against California was concerned. The hydrologic facts in the case dictate that there is not enough water in the river from that available within compact apportionments for all potential uses in either the Upper or the Lower Basin, and any large, new project, such as the Central Arizona Project, can exist only on presently unused water that has been apportioned by compact to the Upper Division States. In other words, there is not enough Lower Basin water available under existing conditions for the Central Arizona Project after taking into consideration the required deliveries of Mexican Treaty water, Nevada's water uses, the priority to be given by Arizona to California for 4.4 million acre-feet, evaporation from Lower Basin reservoirs, and other water losses in the Lower Basin. The paramount problem faced by the Upper Division States with respect to proposed legislation to construct a Lower Colorado River Basin Project predicated upon presently unused water apportioned to the Upper Basin is: how do the upstream States recapture their water when it will be needed for their own water resource development, some of which is now imminent? The pending legislation to authorize the construction of another large water consuming project in the Lower Basin is believed to be the most important legislation of its type that the four States of the Upper Colorado River Commission have had to consider-especially, in view of the fact that an importation of water into the Colorado River Basin from outside sources appears to have been relegated to the indefinite future. After considering several possible courses of action designed to protect the future development of water resources of the Upper Division States and at the same time avoid opposing the authorization of a Lower Colorado River Basin Project, the Upper Colorado River Commission decided that initial efforts should be directed toward negotiating with representatives of the Lower Basin States. It was hoped that through negotiations agreement could be reached concerning the inclusion of terms in the proposed authorizing Bill that would implement a guarantee to return to the Upper Basin, compact-apportioned water that would be temporarily used by the Central Arizona Project at such future times and in such quantities as needed by the Upper Division States. At the same time the Commission supported the principles to accomplish this purpose that had been incorporated in a draft Bill prepared by the staffs of the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Upper Colorado River Commission. At the Hearings on H. R. 4671 held by the Subcommittee on Irrigation and Reclamation of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the U. S. House of Representatives during the period August 23-September 1, 1965 witnesses from the 49 |