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<br />f <br /> <br />21<8 <br />National Water Commission Act (5.3107) <br /> <br />On March 21, 1966, Senator Henry Jackson <br />of the State of Washington and 44 other sena- <br />tors introduced a bill S. 3l 07, Eighty Ninth <br />Congress entitled the "National \Vater Commis- <br />sion Act." The bill would provide for a seven- <br />man commission to bc appointed by the Presi- <br />dent from among persons outside the .F ~deral <br />Government, to review present and annclp~ted <br />national water resource problems, to conSider <br />economic and social consequences of water re- <br />source development and to advise on specific <br />water resource matters referred to it by the <br />President and Water Resources Council. Life of <br />the commission would be no longer than fivc <br />Years. <br />, At its mceting of May 4, 1966, the Colorado <br />River Board approvcd a resolution that nothing <br />in S. 3107 should be construed to delay con- <br />gressional authorization of a. western ,regional <br />water project study as prOVIded for m H.R. <br />4671. <br />Hearings were held on S. 3107 before the Sen- <br />ate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs on <br />Mav 16 'I.nd \7, \966, and the bill passed thc <br />Senate on June 9, 1966, but was not considered <br />by the House and failed to be enacted into law. <br /> <br />Water Quality Act of 1965 (PL 89-234) <br /> <br />A bill to amend the Federal \Vater Pollution <br />Control Act was introduced during the first ses- <br />sion of the 89th Congress. Purposes of the bill <br />were to establish the Federal Water Pollution <br />Control Administration, to proyide grants for <br />research and development, to increase the grants <br />for construction of municipal scwage rreatment <br />works and to authorize the establishment of <br />standards for preventing, controlling, an~ abat- <br />ing pollution of interstate waters. The bIll was <br />signed by the President on October 2, 1965, as <br />Public Law 89-234. <br />At the end of fiscal year 1965-66, the Colo- <br />rado River Basin states 'commenced working to- <br />gether on guidelines for the establishment by <br />each state of water quality standards applicable <br />to the interstate waters of Colorado River. Staff <br />members of the Board participated. <br /> <br />Water Resources Planning Act (PL 89-80) <br /> <br />S. 21 was introduced on January 5, 1965, by <br />Senator Anderson of New Mexico, and signed <br /> <br />by the President on July 22, 1965, as Public Law <br />89-80, to provide for optimum development of <br />the Nation's natural resources through the co- <br />ordinated planning of water and related land <br />resources. Title I creates a Water Resources <br />Council composed of the Secretaries of Intenor, <br />Army, Agriculture, Health, Education and \Vel- <br />fare, and the Chairman of the F e,der~l Power <br />Commission. The Council is to mamtam a con- <br />tinuing study of the Nation's water supplies ~nd <br />watcr requirements and the relation of fiver <br />basin plans to the requirements of larger regIOns <br />of the Nation, to rcview eXlstmg polICIes and <br />programs to meet such requirements, and.1o <br />make recommendations to the PreSident With <br />respect to rhese policies and prog:rams. <br />Title II authorizes rhe PreSident to creatc <br />a river basin commission upon the requesr of a <br />state or the \Vater Resourccs Council if such <br />request is concurred in by the Council. and by <br />not less than one-half of thc affected bas1l1 states, <br />and in the event the Upper Colorado River <br />Basin or the Columbia River Basin is involved, <br />by at least three of the four states in which each <br />b~sin is located. <br />Section 3 (d) as worded on thc motion of <br />Senator Jackson of \Vashingron prohibits any <br />entity acting under provisions of the Act from <br />stud)'ing, planning or recommending the ~rans- <br />fer of waters between areas under the )unsdlc- <br />tion of more than onc river basin commission or <br />cntitv performing the function of 'I. river basin <br />com~ission, At its meeting on July 7, 1965, the <br />Colorado River Board considered this prohibi- <br />tion but took no action thercon, because Board <br />counsel advised that, if cnacted, the proposed <br />Colorado River Basin legislation, directing the <br />Secretary of the Interior to study importation <br />plans to' supplement th~ supply?! the Colorado <br />River, would nulhfy thIS prohIbition. <br /> <br />H.R. 14215, Fiscal 1967 Appropriation <br />for the Department of the Interior and <br />Related Agencies <br />During consideration of the fiscal 1967 De- <br />partment of the Interior Appropriation bill, the <br />Housc Appropriations Committee proposed a <br />reduction of funds for the U.S. Geological Sur- <br />vey cooperative Basic Water Data program. The <br />Board sent telegrams to Senators Hayden and <br />Kuchel, members of the Senate Appropriations <br />Committee, pointing out the adverse conse- <br /> <br />15 <br />