OCR Text |
Show Arkansas River Compact, 1948 The State of Colorado and the State of Kansas, parties signatory to this Compact (hereinafter referred to as "Colorado" and "Kansas", respectively, or individually as a "State", or collectively as the "States") having resolved to conclude a compact with respect to the waters of the Arkansas River, and being moved by considerations of interstate comity, having appointed commissioners as follows: "Henry C. Vidal, Gail L. Ireland, and Harry B. Mendenhall, for Colorado; and George S. Knapp, Edward F. Arn, William E. Leavitt, and Roland H. Tate, for Kansas"; and the consent of the Congress of the United States to negotiate and enter into an interstate compact not later than January 1,1950, having been granted by Public Law 34, 79th Congress, 1st Session, and pursuant thereto the President having designated Hans Kramer as the representative of the United States, the said commissioners for Colorado and Kansas, after negotiations participated in by the representatives of the United States, have agreed as follows: ARTICLE I The major purposes of this Compact are to: A. Settle existing disputes and remove causes of future controversy between the States of Colorado and Kansas, and between citizens of one and citizens of the other State, concerning the waters of the Arkansas River and their control, conservation and utilization for irrigation and other beneficial purposes. B. Equitably divide and apportion between the States of Colo- rado and Kansas the waters of the Arkansas River and their utilization as well as the benefits arising from the construction, operation and maintenance by the United States of John Martin Reservoir Project for water conservation purposes. ARTICLE II The provisions of this Compact are based on (1) the physical and other conditions peculiar to the Arkansas River and its natural drain- age basin, and the nature and location of irrigation and other develop- ments and facilities in connection therewith; (2) the opinion of the United States Supreme Court entered December 6, 1943, in the case of Colorado v. Kansas (320 U.S. 383) concerning the relative rights of the respective States in and to the use of waters of the Arkansas River; and (3) the experience derived under various interim execu- tive agreements beitween the two States apportioning the waters released from the John Martin Reservoir as operated by the Corps of Engineers. |