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<br />000790 <br /> <br />Ownership <br /> <br />Percent of <br />Upper <br />Basin <br /> <br />ownership <br />Lower <br />Basin <br /> <br />Federal <br />Private <br />Indian trust <br />State/municipal <br /> <br />60 <br />20 <br />15 <br />5 <br /> <br />52 <br />18 <br />18 <br />12 <br /> <br />100 <br /> <br />100 <br /> <br />ALLOCATION OF THE WATERS AMONG THE STATES <br /> <br />The Colorado River has been described as the most <br />regulated river in 'the United States. It is regulated in <br />accordance with numerous laws, compacts, court decrees, and <br />agreements, collectively known as the "Law of the River." <br />(See app. 1.) <br /> <br />In 1922, the seven States in the region agreed to divide <br />the waters of the Colorado River system into an upper and <br />lower division. The States of the upper division are <br />Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; while the States of <br />the lower division are Arizona, California, and Nevada. <br />Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah receive water from both <br />divisions. The map on page 4 shows the boundaries of the <br />divisions (hereinafter referred to as sub-basins). The <br />agreement, or Colorado River Compact, provided for apportion- <br />ing annually 15 million acre-feet (maf) of consumptive use <br />of water equally between the two sub-basins. The division <br />point is at Lee Ferry in Arizona just below Glen Canyon Dam. <br />In addition to the 15 maf allocation, the Lower Basin was <br />given the right to increase its use by 1 maf a year, and <br />the compact provided for the possibility of a water treaty <br />with Mexico. (See p. 56.) The compact also provided that <br />at least 75 maf would be delivered to the Lower Basin in <br />any consecutive 10-year period. The source of the additional <br />1 maf allocated to the Lower Basin and the obligations of <br />each basin to fulfill the Mexican Water Treaty commitment <br />are matters of dispute among the States. <br /> <br />In 1944 the United States entered into a treaty with <br />Mexico whereby the United States would deliver 1.5 maf to <br />Mexico annually. This increased the amount of water allocated <br />out of the river to 17.5 maf annuallY. In 1973 an agreement <br />was reached under an interpretation of the treaty to require <br />the United States to deliver water having a salinity content <br />only somewhat higher than that of the waters reaching Imperial <br />Dal'l. <br /> <br />2 <br /> <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />~ <br />