WSP11068

• File Number: 8210.140.20
• Description: Colorado River Basin Organizations and Entities - Colorado River Basin States Forum - California
• State: CA
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 7/1/1949
• Author: Metro Water District
• Title: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California - Eleventh Annual Report
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Annual Report

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LEGAL

93

bills in extensive hearings before the Interior and Insular Affairs
Committee of the United States Senate and a Suucommitee on
Irrigation and Reclamation of the Committee on Public Lands of
the House of Representatives. (On August 3. 1949, the Senate
Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs issued a report on the
bill S. 75 in which it recommended pas,;age of the bill with certain
amendments, including an amendment prohibiting expenditures for
con,truction of works to divert Colorado River water to Centra]
Arizona for six months after the effective date of the act and
during pendency of any litigation over the water rights, also per-
mitting joinder of the United States in any such litigation. It is
expected that the bill will be called up for consideration by the
Semite during the second session of the 81st Congress commencing
in January 1950.) No report was made by the House Subcommittee
on Irrigation and Reclamation, but action on H. R. 934 and H. R.
935 may occur at the second session.
Early in the session. bills in the form of joint resolutions were
intruduced by represelltath'e:-;. from California and Nevada, seeking
the c.onsent of the Congress to join the United States as a party in
any suit 01' suits to be brought in the Supreme Court of the United
State,; by an affected state to determine conflicting rights to the use
of the water, of the Colorado River. Senate .Joint Reso]ution 4 was
refe!Ted to the Senate Committee on Interior and Insu]ar Affairs
and hearings were had in conjunction with tbe hearings on S. 75.
No separate action was taken on S.J. Res. 4. but as hereinbefore
noted pl'uvbdon.s regarding consent to sue were approved by the
committee in the form of amendment,; to S. 75. House .Joint Reso]u-
tion 3 and companion bills were referred to the .Judiciary Committee
of the House of REpresentatives and hearings were held by that
committee. No report has been made, but further action may be
taken in the second session of the 8bt Congress. In addition to
these formal hearing,;, many conferences were held with representa-
tives of federal bureaus and departments.
Representatives of the District also attended hearings before the
Subcommittee on Irrigation and Reclamation of the Committee on
Public Lands of the House of Representatives in connection with
the ratification by Congress of the Upper Colorado River Basin
Compact. The District did not oppose the ratification of this com-
pact. Because of what are believed to be inc.onsistencies between the
Uppcr Colorado River Basin Compact and the Colorado River Com-
pact signed at Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1!l22. it was deemed desir-
able to reque,t, and there was obtained, in the committee report and