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<br />""'port; othel'wl"o~" the body o~ the r'~pol.t, as gOtt';lffi out in November
<br />J 945, called the "Substalltiating Material", 1 believe, is identical
<br />with the Hnal J:cpo,rt. The report, as you will recall, presents an
<br />invento.")' of 134 potential projects within the physical drainage basin
<br />of the Colorado River. In addition, it mentions certain potential
<br />proj~:ct$ for ,,>:port of water, or so-called trans-mountain diversion
<br />projects. It sets up an estimate of the water supply under virgin
<br />conditions. as at the international boundary, in the amount of 17 1/?'
<br />million acre feet annually on the average, and deducting the water
<br />required for the Mexican Treaty, leaving an average of some 16
<br />million acre feet annually for use in the Unl.ted States. It lists water
<br />requirements of these 134 potential projects within the Basin. plus the
<br />potential export projects, in addition to the presently authorized and
<br />existh1g projects, in the amount of some 20 million acre feet, as
<br />compared to the average water supply --sa long-term ,average, by the
<br />way, of around 16 million acre feet of water. The potential requirements
<br />of all projects are about 25% in excess of the water supply, estimated
<br />as a long'time average under virgin conditions. It estlmates the capital
<br />cost of individual projects, which is set forth on the basis of 1940 prices,
<br />just for the 134 potential within-Basin projects, as an aggregate of about
<br />$2,850,000,000.
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<br />In the letter of transmittal of the Acting Commissioner' to
<br />the Secretary of the Interior, which was approved by the Acting Secretary,
<br />the costs were estimated on the basis of current prices in the amount of
<br />$3,460,000,000. for the same 134 potential within-Basin projects. The
<br />report presents an analysis of annual benefits as compared to annual
<br />costs, on an over-all basis, of the 134 within-Basin projects, leaving
<br />out the potential. eu:portatio'lll projects. That estimate, comparing
<br />annual benefits to cost in the Substantiating Material, indicates a benefit-
<br />cost ratio of about 1.34 to 1. On the basis of cUnelWt prices, the benefit-
<br />cost ratio, as indicated in the letter of the Acting Commissioner to the
<br />Secretary of the Interior, is approximately 1 to 1. In the letter
<br />transmitting the repox't, the conclusions expressed are as follows:
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<br />"(a) There is not enough water available in'the Colorado
<br />Ri.'iJ<er system for full expansion of existing and authorized projects
<br />and'for development of all potential projects' outlined in the report,
<br />including those possibilities for exporting water to adjacent watersheds.
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<br />(b) The formulation of an ultimate plan of river development,
<br />therefore, will require selection from among the possibilities for
<br />expanding existing or authorized projects as well as from among the
<br />potential new projects. Before such a selection for ultimate devel-
<br />opment can be made it will be necessary that, within the limits of
<br />the general allocation of water between Upper Basin and Lower Basin
<br />States set out in the Colorado River Compact, the Colorado River Basin
<br />States agree on sub-allocations of water to the individual states."
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