9407

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9407
• Author: Water Education Foundation.
• Title: 75th Anniversary Colorado River Compact Symposium Proceedings.
• USFW Year: 1997.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

SYMPOSIUM
PROCEEDINGS
MAY 1997

MODERATOR: JEROME Muvs,

ATTORNEY, WASHINGTON, D.C.
The title of this symposium is "Using History to
Understand Current Water Problems," and the first
panel is going to present some history. As Justice
Holmes once said, "A page of history is worth a
volume oflogic." We're starting with logical argu-
ments about the Compact, or our current problems
and a little bit of the histoty that went into its
creation, at least what the states brought to the
process and how they felt about the result. I sent the
panelists some materials from what I view as the Bible
of the Law of the River - at least up to 1948 - the
Hoover Dam documents authored by Secretary of the
Interior Ray Lyman Wilbur during the Hoover
administration and Northcutt Ely, his special assistant
who negotiated the Hoover Dam water and power
contracts.
A word about Northcutt "Mike" Ely whom some
of you may know. If your hairs are gray enough,
you'll know who he was and his role over the last 75
years on the Colorado River. We asked Mike if he
would come over and present an overview of the
process from the '20s to the current time. Mike's

<2>

Panelists: (left to right) Moderator Jerome Muys,
James Lochhead, Colorado Department of
Natural Resources; Thomas Turney, New Mexico
State Engineer; Jeff Fassett, Wyoming State
Engineer; Robert King, Utah Interstate Streams;
Richard Bunker, Colorado River Commission
of Nevada; Rita Pearson, Arizona Department
of Water Resources; and David Kennedy,
California Department of Water Resources.

father, Simms Ely who Ward Bannister referred to,
was one of the Arizona representatives on the League
of the Southwest that came up with the idea for the
Compact. But Mike's wife was ill and he couldn't be
with us. When I called him Tuesday to talk about
another matter, I learned he had died Monday night
after a long, distinguished career on the Colorado
River - 94 years old - working at his office that day
as usual. Listening to the description of Delph
Carpenter, I see about 95 percent of Mike Ely with
the same traits of dedication, hard work, competence,
determination and great skills.
He was part of the Stanford group that was so
instrumental on Colorado River matters - President