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. :to- .~, . ;;:,:::" ;~;.:' .", " ." " 002267 :',~ ".' -5- ~. hydroeleotric production by the struotures constituting the comprehensive plan of water development in the two basins. By this device the Bureau of Recla- mation, which functions primarily to reclaim arid and semi-arid lands, would be relegated to the position of the pONe-I' authority in these river basins, Without extending this analytical statement, there should be noted and incorporated herein certain portions of the Report and Reocmmen:iations of the Committee of the National Reolamation Assooiation, dated October, 19L~3, entitled "Preservati on of Integrity of State Ylater Laws." The Committee whioh drafted this report g;ave this problem a very careful study. This report sets forth the desirability of ooordination of the activities of the Federal agenoies en- gaged in water development, but the attainment of suoh an objective is quite different from the plan oontained in the Bill IDlder,disoussion whereby ooordi- nation is sought by plaoing all water development planning, construotion and operation primarily under the direotion of one federal agenoy to insure the proteotion of navigation and flood control as dcninant objeatives, It is not believed that' the objeotions to this proposed legislation oan be oured by amendments. The ba'sio polioy and the procedural provisions are not in aaoord with the furtherance of the developnent of' the arid and semi-arid areas of the river basins Which are the subjeot of the Bill. Students of river basin problems recogpize the inherent desirability, and in many cases the l1Iloessity, of adjusting oonflicting '!iater use benefits and the ola.sh between federal and state jurisdictions over the ,control of ,vater through agreements among states with the' oooperati on of the federal goverrunent. Often such adjustments' take the form of oompacts which are ratified by the legislatures of the sil3natory' states and approved by the Congress. This prooedure assures the most efficient use of water for multiple purposes, provides for amicable and equitable division of waters among states, removes oauses which might lead to oontroversies, promotes interstate oomity, preserves the integrity of state water laws, affords the means of eliminating the olash between federal and state jurisdictions and promotes joint action between the United States and the states for the utilization of,water resources and the control of destructive floods. The proposed legislation, here disoussed, imposes an authority and fixes a rule which limits, and in many cases would defeat, the possibilities of'making suoh desirable adjustments. On Deoember 6, 1943, the Supreme Court of the United States decided an interstate water oontroversy between Colorado and Kansas, involving the Arkansas river. Kansas is applying for a rehearing. It is assumed that, if the proposed legislati'on evidenced by S. 1519 should become law, the development plan in the upper basin would be compelled to recogpize this decision of the Court. However, an adjustment of this long standing oontroversy (an earlier decision was rendered in 1907) should not now be oomplioated by development prooedure under the polioy and the terms of this B111. This oase held with respeot to the Arkansas river from its headwaters to a point near Dodge City, Kansas, that in this area "the stream is non-navigable." Thus this Bill oovers a river whioh for about 1.;40 miles (more than a third of the total length of the river) has been held by the United States Supreme Court to be non-tJl.vigable. In this same area irrigation is extensively praotioed under state laws. As herein pointed out, this proposed legislation fastens upon this river a basin development plan designed primarily