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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The over-all plan includes nine main reservoirs ~dth combined <br />capacities of about 47 rndJ.lion acre-feet. Hydroelectric powerplants at the <br />reservoirs wotud have a total capacity of 1,592,000 kilowatts. Tae plants <br />could inH:.ally generate nine billion kilowatt-.hours of rim energy annually. <br />As consumptive use of water increases in the Upper Basin, the energy gen- <br />eration ~rould gradually diminish over a long period of years to six billion <br />Idlowatt-tours annually. F.escrvoir capac:. ty t{ould be provided to catch all <br />river sediment contributed by the Upper Basin over a 200_year period, ~~us <br />extending the useful lives of Lake Mead and other existing and potential <br />reservoirs in the Loller Basin. <br /> <br />Associated 1.1ith the Colorado River Storage preject 1{ould be a <br />number of so-called Participating Projects ill tile Upper Basin. These would <br />be 1mter-constlDling projects for irrigation and other purposes for 1mich <br />water 1I0uld be indirectly assured by reservoirs o!: the storage project. The <br />ParUcipating Projects 1I0uld furtiler benefit f::-om the storage project by <br />receivine repayment assistance on irrigation costs ~lrough "ower revenues <br />that are in excess of the repayment requirements of the storage project <br />itself. <br /> <br />i <br />) <br /> <br />The over-all plan was approved ~y the Secretary of the Interior <br />on December 10, 1953. He recommended initial au~~orization of only the <br />Glen Canyon and bcho Perl: units of tile storare pro~ect estimated to cost <br />approximately 600 million dollars and 11 nell participating projects esti- <br />mated to cost approximately 300 million dollars. Bills th[<t \<oulc, essen- <br />tially carry out the Secretary's recommendation and "ould also authorize <br />some additional units and participating projects were approved ~ committees <br />of both houses of the e3rd Congress, but did not come to a vote on the <br />floor of either house. S:UllUar bills were recently introduced in the pres- <br />ent (84th) Congress. <br /> <br />I \<ould like to emr~asize that the Colorado River Storage project <br />is a basin developnent and 1/ill require a long time to fully materialize. <br />The various units of tlle project and participating projects would be con- <br />str~cted as they are needed alld individUally justified from engineering and <br />economic considerations, and as they are autllorized by Congress. <br /> <br />The setting-up of a comprehensive plan of developnent for the <br />Upper Colorado River B8sin was neccss3ry to give direction to the many <br />steps that will be taken touard the ultimate goal. The purpose of the long <br />range plan has sometimes been misunderstood, hOllever. On the erroneous <br />assumption ~lat the flan was intended to ~e rigid and final, it has been <br />criticized as being based on more wcter than ~dl1 be available; as providing <br />more storage capacity than Hill be needed, and on other grounds. In justi- <br />fying the general plan for the purpose for uhicl1 it Has intended I do not <br />inply for it perfectior. or finality. The distance that He may eventually <br />go in developing Upper Basin water or in building the last project units for <br />ultimate water use need not be decided in this generation. Our immediate <br />concern is that the 1Jork Get undenJay end thet the ini.tial steps be headed <br />in the right (,irection. and justified in and of themselves. <br /> <br />,I <br />, <br /> <br />3 <br /> <br />\.1 \~ <br />