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THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER BASIN PROJECT 15 001799 By his letter of February 14, 1964, transmitting his Pacific South. west Water Plan report to the President, the Secretary has so found. The committee has determined that the Secretary's conclusions are well justified and that the Secretary's findings be given congressional ratification by the declaration included in the subsection. The comunttee's action is based upon the following considerations: 1. The reservoir's impact on the l?ark is minimal. Over 98 per- cent of the land area in the park will remain in its natural condi- tion. . 2. The area involved is, at present, the most remote and inac- cessible in the park. Only a relative handful of people have undertaken the rigorous boat journey necessary to these areas. The National Park Service reports that 1,300 people made the trip in the 9-year period from 1955-63. On the other hand, the dam will open this small segment of the park to large numbers of people (estimated by the National Park Service, 150,000 an- nually) who will want to take boat trips on the fjordlike reservoir and see the incomparable scenery of the Grand Canyon. In the committee's view it does no violence to the "wilderness concept" which this committee vi~orously espouses, to permit this unique opportunity to the publIc at large to glimpse at first hand, the matchless splendor of this most magnificant of American scenic treasures. 3. The high dam will enable the repayment of the costs of the initial units within 50 years. . Weighing all these factors, it is the committee's judgment that the increased recreational opportunities and greater power potential with its substantially greater revenues justify construction of the high dam at Bridge Canyon; The Marble Canyon Dam will confer benefits upon the Indians, par- ticularly the Navajos. Bridge Canyon will likewise confer benefits upon the Hualapais. Subsection (b) of section 104 of the bill authorizes the Central Arizona unit which is also generally described in the Commissioner's report (pp. VI-8 to VI-9). The testimony and su:pporting docu- ments establish the need for and demonstrate the engmeering, finan- cial, and economic feasibility of this unit. . The proviso to subsection (b) of section 104 has already been dis. cussed above in its relation to section 103, At this point the com- mittee states that it is not intended by this committee that the use by California of any of the waters of the Colorado River awarded to Arizona under the decree in Arizona v. California shall be in deroga- tion of Arizona's rights under such decree. It is only by reason of the lP'ace and comity of Arizona that the committee approves this proV1SO, and its approval thereof is upon the condition and with the understanding that Arizona's rights under the decree in Arizona v. California are not affected, abridged, or impaired, and that California has no right after the period of 25 years to the renewal or extension of her use of any waters of the Colorado River awarded to Arizona. Subsection (e) of section 104 requires the Secretary of the Interior to investigate, :plan, cODstruct, <)perate, and maintain or otherwise provide for basIC 'public outdoor recreation facilities, and for con- servation and public use or enjoyment of scenery, natural, historic, " 'J , . '. . .~ 1_, ;..'