WSP08576

• File Number: 8210.140.20
• Description: Colorado River Basin Organizations and Entities - Colorado River Basin States Forum - California
• State: CA
• Basin: Western Slope
• Date: 7/13/1967
• Author: CO River Board of CA
• Title: Annual Report 1965-66
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Annual Report

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RIVER MANAGEMENT

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The year 1965-66 was one of controversy
over th~ proposed river management program
of the United States Department of the Interior,
owing to conllict of interest between water
agencies with long established rights to the
waters of Colorado River and others responsible
for recreation, fish and wildlife potentials. Pri-
mary purposes of the river management pro-
gram as described in the Department of the In-
terior reports are to salvage water, stabilize
banks and channel, control sedimentation, and
to enhance recreation development and fish and
wildlife resources. These purposes are not en-
tirely compatible, but the U.S. Bureau of Rec-
lamation, in cooperation with the Bureau of
Sport Fisheries and \Vildlife, has attempted in
the proposed program to achieve reasonable and
realistic balance among the various benefits.

In Septcmber, 1965 the Bureau of Reclama-
tion submitted a draft report entitled "Compre-
hensive Plan, Lower Colorado River Channel-
ization-Parker Division" to Governor Brown
for State review. The Parker Division is identi-
fied as the 44-milc reach of the river from
Headgate Rock Dam downstream to Palo Verde
Dam. Objectives of the plan are primarily to
improve channel stability, realign the existing
channel, and reduce sediment load of the river.
The plan also provides for extensive mitigation
of fish and wildlife losses and for recreation
benefits. Total construction cost is cstimated to
be $11,293,000 of which $2,159,000 would be
for fish and wildlife features.

On October 19 and November 26, 1965, the
Board's Principal Engineer attended meetings
with o/licials of the U.S. Department of the In-
terior, California Department of Fish and Game,
California Wildlife Conservation Board, Cali-
fornia Department of Water Resources and the
Arizona Game and Fish Department. Purposes
of the meetings were to exchange views among
state and federal representatives concerning the
proposed river management program and to

clarify the objections to that program. Repre-
sentatives of the California and Arizona Fish
and Game Departments objected to what they
called a piecemeal review of the river manage-
ment program and proposed a concurrent re-
view of the Parker Division, Topock Gorge
Division and Yuma Division reports. At the
October meeting it was agreed that comments
on Section I of the Parker Division would be
submitted as soon as possible, as the works pro-
posed in Section I were not controversial, and
that comments on the remaining portion of the
Parker Division would be submitted later, along
with comments on the reports for the Yuma and
Topock Gorge Divisions. On November 3,
1965, the Board sent the following comments
on the Parker Division to the Department of
\Vater Resources.

"The Parker Division is one unit of the Colo-
rado River Front work and Levee System. The
major purposes of the program are -'to improve
channel stabilitYl salvage v.'ater clOd provide sedi-
ment control. After considerable study and re-
evaluation requested by California and Arizona
tish, wildlife and recreation agencies, the Depart-
ment of Interior incorporated conservation and
rehabilitation of /ish and wildlife resources as a
major objective.

"The toeal program is consistent with Section
305 (mainstream salvage unit) of H.R. 4671 and
similar bills previously endorsed by Governor
Brown and the Colorado River Board. Section
305 states in part 'The mainstream salvage unit
shall include, to the extent the Secretarv deter-
mines co be consistent with maintenance ~f a rea-
sonable degree of undisturbed habitat for 'fish and
wildlife in the area, programs for water salvage
through phrearophyte control along and adjacent
to the mainstream of the Colorado River, . . .' It
is also consistent with the Ma v 5, 1965, resolution
of the Board, which is attached to these com-
ments,

"The Bureau of Reclamation and Burea u of
Sports fisheries are to be commended for develop-
ing a program that preserves the purposes of wa-
ter salvage and river control, enhances recreational
opportunities and mitigates /ish and wildlife losses.

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