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<br />. hr:lfIc LtI" lou"",/ I Vol. /9
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<br />1988 I Cali/omi" Colorado Rlwr Issua
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<br />To Ihis should be added the Incredible development and use of
<br />this river in California alone. I~ is II major source of domestic and
<br />Industrial water for over 14,000,000 people on the coastal plaln ot
<br />Southern Caliromia. and is the source of life for the rich apicultural
<br />valley, of Imperial. Palo Verde and COllchelll.
<br />Tbe history of the walen of the Colorado River I. the story of
<br />how man has tamed this river and developed a unique legal system
<br />to allocate its waters between and wirhin basins. This system consists
<br />of a vi1ricty of le,al documenls includin. interstate compacls. an
<br />international treaty. acts of Congress, slale legislative .cdons, Su-
<br />preme Court decrees, and regulatwn, of and contlacts with the
<br />SeenlaTY of the Inlerior. This colltction of regulatory measures is
<br />popularly referred to as liThe Law of The River," and it is both
<br />the source and the solution to the many allocation problems today,
<br />The he'art of the problems facing the Colorado River Basin states
<br />and their water users is the simple fact that the river is oversubscribed.
<br />The statesmen who built the foundation of the Law of the River,
<br />the Colorado Ri...tr Compact.1 did so on an assumption that the
<br />.veraSc annual now of the river system was greater than it in fact
<br />is. For example, the California Colorado River Commission, in a
<br />1931 report. estimated an annual surplus of four million :Ilcre-fect
<br />available to the Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and
<br />Nevada,. A more recent report of the Colorado River Board of
<br />California anticipates the need for 1.2.5 million acre-feet of additional
<br />waler annually fo meet the existinllower Basin apportionments.'
<br />The purpose of this article is 10 6amine this compendium" of legsl
<br />d~uments. the Law of the River, and to measure it qainst four
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<br />legal problem areas that arc of modern significance to California
<br />and. indeed, the entire Colorado River Basin: (I) Proposed interstate
<br />and inlerbasin sales or transfers of Colorado River water, using the
<br />well publicized Galloway proposal for illustrative purposes; (2) pro-
<br />posed Intrastale sales or transfer. or Colorado River water within
<br />California, here usinl Ihe example or poIential SIIvlnp of Breat
<br />quantilies of waler by conservation measureS in ~he Imperial Val!Cf;
<br />(3) proposed sale or transfer of Indian Reservation Colorado River
<br />water fighlS. which involves not only the firsl two problems. but
<br />also raises questions or whdher such waler rights may be used orf
<br />lhe reservations and whether such rights are subject to tM Law of
<br />Ihe River at aUi and (4) the problems of meeting th~ obligations. of
<br />the United Statu-Mexico Wattt' Treaty in both quanuty and quahty.
<br />
<br />II. THE LAw 0' mE RIvER.
<br />
<br />A. Overview
<br />
<br />). TIlt CoIorldo Ri..er C""'~ rhrteinl'ler Coml*"ll .1. lalhorltcd by Ad or Aupll
<br />'f. 1921, '2 St.1. 111 Ind IpfI'OO"ftt by CO"peSl 11'1 ICC'Uon lJ(l) of lhe Bould" CIft)'~"I
<br />Projecl Act of 1921, .., 11'1. 1051 (1928) fc:odifitd " amended II 4) U.S.C. II 611-611 (1912
<br />Ind SUPJ'. III 1985). St'I' WIUlIa .\ND En. THI Hoovn D...1lI DocUIff-Hl1. H.R. Doc. No.
<br />717. ~h Con... 2d Snl., 11-)1, App. 20) (1"'11.1 brltf hlMory and 1Q'f of lhe CCllorado
<br />ItlYef Compatl) IhC'l"C'."a'ltr \\Plllua . Enl; MY .'10 1929 Cal. Slat. ClI. I. II I (ralilkalion
<br />Md ap~o"al 01 Ihll' Colorado IIf.ltfft Com~ b7 Ihll' eal.fOfnia Lcpslalarc Ind lhe Iell of
<br />lhe ColN.do Riller Compil(1).
<br />.. Cot.OlllADQ KIVU COrnmslOllf O' 'nil S'AR Of C...InM.HI.... COUlU.DO R""'I "'HO
<br />TN.. BnuI.DU C...NtON PIOlICt. l<n-M) (I'HI).
<br />5. Mfmorandum, Colorado Ri,," 8o.rd of C.lifornll. P1lrehllt' or Leu' of Upper
<br />ColOO'ldo Riwcr 8ltln W.tn Ripu ) (OclobrT ), 19111. $n p"tTOIf7, WH1Tl!, A Nt"
<br />COItj101~ jlt IIIII' VI,. of /11, Ri",". in NlW COUUD FOI "'I COlO....OO Ih...a :U~. 217 fU.
<br />of N. Wlu. PrCIt, Alhuqlll'rquc, 1916,. s,. .{sQ, HUHOU". WAn.a "'HO TIll: WasT: THI
<br />Cow.....oo Rm. COIfP"'CT "'''D IH! Pounct or W...rrt. 1M rHI.AMull.:'AIl' Win )(J7-ll (U.C.
<br />Pn"J1 "").
<br />6. The IUlhw "noWl or 110 .Ina:le kIo.. lbeI COlfhlnl aIIlht dOCVlDlllu CIOIftp-Wnllbc
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<br />To understand Ihe continuing legal issues relating to the use or
<br />Colorado River water, it is necessary 10 have some background in
<br />that curious colletlion of tfeaties, compacts. and acts or Congress
<br />that we can "The Law of The River." Thus, this section or the
<br />article will'analyze Ihe portions of documents thai bear on Ihose
<br />issues affecting Calirornia. It will, however, leave 10 others the
<br />discussion of such subjects as Ihe efrect. if any, of Itale anli-e;l(port
<br />statutes on transfers of Colorado R.iver W:Il\er and the role sta'e law
<br />plays in the appropriation of Upper Basin water as conlrasted with
<br />the Lower Basin scheme.'
<br />(I is worlhy of mention, at this point, Ihat many people have
<br />suggested that portions or the Law of the River be changed and
<br />modernized to achieve social or economic goals, luch as facilitating
<br />"water market ins.'" The purpose or this article, however. is to Ireal
<br />the issues in light of what Ihe law is now, with, in a f~ areas, the
<br />
<br />l.. of l'hll' Riwt'f. but tomlllmdl Wn.W1JI; I: 'En. III",. lIOI:C ), .rId N.l'bans.on, VpdflWI' 7lrf'
<br />1fC'KJ"'Ff" Dtlm DonI_tJ. (U.S. Oo..'t. Prinlin. orflCt [lrcn"'Cl", 1910). Thew wo1umct arc
<br />plrlicularlY .....Iuable for lower Bonin m.llen.
<br />,. ~,..,., NEW Cout.SU FOOl Tn COLOIlADO RM!a, AI"" JIOIC 5.
<br />.. ld. Pallialllfl" lhe ruder lhould _ lhe nll)'l b7 WllTT1!. at 221-1), UId bJ GI1'CIID
<br />"'ND MIY'u. T7ttRI","o/Corotro..,.q: Prnist",tl_. II 51.
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