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<br />~.- . <br /> <br />The enactment of Pu.blic: La.... 485. 84th Congre.... ld Senion, <br />A?ril U, 1956. authorizing the COLORADO RIVER STORAGE PROJECT <br />AND PARTIClPA TING PROJECTS ACT. ushered in a. new era. in watet' <br />'resources development in the. Upper Colon.dQ River Ba.ain, eapedally <br />tha.t put of the basin co.ni:ained in the State of Colorado. This is only <br />proper sinc.e me&t of the wa.ter in the. Colora.do. River System originates <br />in Colorado. w;a.teuhed.. Hiatorically, the State of Colol'ado contributes <br />a.lmost 11,000,000 a.cre feet. on an a.verage annual baais. to. the unde- <br />pIe-ted runoU of the. ColDrado River System. However. an internati.onal <br />T rea-ty with Mexico. and bindinS i.nterstate. Compact eommitme.ata among <br />the Baain States of that river .y.tern limit Colorado. consumptive use. of <br />Colorado. River ....ater to. approximately one-third of this amount. <br /> <br />Reaervoiu .uch a. BLUE MESA, the object of today" sraund <br />breaking ceremonies, in conjunction with Morrow Point, Crystal, Gleo <br />Canyon, F'lamizlg Gorge and Navajo, will hold over in reserve.. part of <br />the runoff in the Colorado River System fJ."om year. of above average <br />water lIupply for relealle in yeaI'll of below average water supply. This <br />will allow each of the Basin Statell to Ulll!, Od a reallonably equated ba.ill, <br />its respective allocation of Colorado River water. 10 addition, tae <br />hydraulic energy corralled by t:ach of the.e reservoirs, with the excep- <br />tion of Ule Navajo Reservoir, will. as an integral function of the Colorado <br />River Storage Projll!ct, be converted to electrical energy. This will t'e~ <br />suit in monetary valuell sufficient not only to pay for the operation and <br />maintenance, and amortiution with interll!st. of these power generation <br />installationll and rela.tll!d facilities, but alllo to c:reate a fund to assist the <br />water ullers in the Upper Basin States to bring to fruition long planned <br />reclamation. developmenh, the cOst of which are oYer and above the r<<!'- <br />payment ability of the water user. alone. <br /> <br />A map of the Colorado portion of the Colorado River Basin on the <br />inllide back cover of this publication show. forty-two Reclamation Pro. <br />jects. Six of these developments were authorized by the Storage Pruject <br />Act. The Act further provided that the Secre~ry of the Interior should <br />give priority to expedltious completion of plan.nint: reportll on twenty-four <br />additional tamed participa.ting projects. twenty of which are in Colondo, <br />and lor the invelltigation of additional participating projecta "all additional <br />needs are iI1dic::ated. II <br /> <br />Again referring to the :map, .ix of these projects have been con~ <br />structed by the Bureau of Reclamation without thll! benefit of Public Law <br />485. Three are now under cOIdtruc::tion by that agency as participating <br />projects. The other thirty-three are potential participating project. made <br />pouible by Public Law 485. <br /> <br />1 <br />