WSP10281

• File Number: 8278.300
• Description: Title I - Mexican Treaty
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 9/1/1991
• Author: Anne DeMarsay CRBSCF
• Title: The Brownell Task Force and the Mexican Salinity Problem - A Narrative Chronology of Events
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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Preface

In the early 1970s, the United States and Mexico engaged in extensive discussions concerning
potential amendments to the treaty between the two countries relating to the delivery of water
from the Colorado River to Mexico. Those discussions focused on water quality issues. The
Colorado River Basin states observed those discussions with great concern and interest because
the states desired to be certain that international agreements would not impact their ability to use
the limited and already-apportioned Colorado River water supplies.

Negotiations for the United States were lead by Herbert G. Brownell, Jr., and a Task Force.
Serving on a Working Group fonned to assist that Task Force was a young, Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) employee by the name of Anne DeMarsay. Anne was a budget
examiner in the Water Resources Branch of the Natural Resources Division of OMB. Following
her career at OMB, Ms. DeMarsay has become a consultant specializing in communications in
the Washington, D.C., area.

Some two decades later, the Colorado River Basin states realized that it would be important to
preserve for future reference some of the history of the negotiations between the two countries.
Anne has excellent writing skills and a vivid memory of those negotiations. Hence, the
Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum contracted with Ms. DeMarsay to write a narrative
chronology of events. This publication is the product of that contract. The Forum believes that
this report is an accurate representation of the events which occurred. However, the Forum
cannot verify every detail attested to by Ms. DeMarsay in the report, nor does the Forum
consider this report to be an official position or finding of the Colorado River Basin Salinity
Control Forum.

Upon receiving a draft report, the Forum concluded that it would be important for Anne to
record the sources that she used in preparing the report. Hence, she has provided a selected
bibliography. In addition, it was felt that it would be informative to have a listing of the Task
Force and Working Group members. That listing is provided under Appendix A. The Forum
further realized that it would be important to preserve some reflections of the events from the
states' perspective. A state organization had been created to allow for an interface between the
State Department and the seven Colorado River Basin states. That organization was named the
Committee of Fourteen. The Committee of Fourteen had been in existence prior to the
negotiations which occurred in the early 1970s, but was reactivated and was most active during
the period of the negotiations in the early 1970s.

Six members of the Committee of Fourteen were available to be interviewed in connection with
this report. They had an opportunity to read this report, and Anne was asked to contact each
of them individually and record some of their views for posterity. Her interviews with five of
the six individuals are summarized in Appendix B. Unfortunately, Steve Reynolds of New
Mexico passed away before Anne had a chance to iJ)terview Mr. Reynolds. Steve had read the
report and had made some notations in his copy of the draft report. His notations are also made
a part of Appendix B.