Laserfiche WebLink
<br />2'1 <br /> <br />of the river's use '/ould be based on allocations flexible enough to deal with <br /> <br />the reality of flow fluctuations. <br />As stated earlier, one of the major reasons the Upper Basin states \~nted <br />to more specifically determine their future rights through a nell compact among <br />themselves was that they apprehended a rapid expansion in California and Arizona <br />in terms of irrigated agriculture and in the Lower Basin urban populations, both <br />of which would require large deliveries of water from the Colorado. Yet in the <br /> <br />record of the UCRBCC, particularly in Meeting Five, there are many indications <br /> <br />of conflict \,ithin the Upper Basin, as well. Much of this conflict resulted <br />from Wyoming'S fear of Colorado unfairly monopolizing the Upper Basin \~ter <br />through the extensive Colorado projects that were being used and planned. <br /> <br />In actuality, all states realized Colorado's unique posi Cion in the Upper <br /> <br />Basin. By the Engineering Advisory Committee's 0\;0 estimations, Colorado con- <br /> <br />tributed 72.18 percent to the virgin flow or the Colorado at Lee Ferry on average <br />between 1914 and 1945. As the contributions to the river by the I~wer Basin <br />states and Mexi~o are relatively small, Colorado's contribution in terms of the <br /> <br />whole Colorado River Basin was similarly large. Ut.ah is the next largest contrib- <br /> <br />utor llith 14.6 percent, followed by Ivyoming (10.9 percent), Nell Mexico (1.3 per- <br />cent), and Arizona (1 percent). Among the Upper Basin states, Colorado also <br />dominated use of the river for domestic and irrigation purposes. Not only did <br />it have 57 percent of the total irrigated area of the Upper basin in 1948; Colorado <br />also accounted for 54 percent o[ the total depletions to ttle [low at Lee Ferry.80 <br />For states such as Wyoming which had far less potential use of the Colorado <br />in 1946, Colorado's vast potential might well have been seen as a threat. In fact, <br />Colorado and Wyoming had a history of feuding over water that provided a basis <br /> <br />for some degree of mistrust in the UCRBCC. This mistrust would be reflected and <br />