9367

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9367
• Author: Colorado Water Workshop.
• Title: Proceedings
• USFW Year: 1992.
• USFW - Doc Type: Colorado Water Workshop July 22-24, 1992.
• Copyright Material: NO

compacts. Essentially, it stated that states can compact with each
other only with the consent of the United States Congress. He became
convinced that the solution to long-range water supply problems for
Colorado and the method to secure a fair share of the Colorado River
for Colorado was via an interstate compact. He began this campaign
to adopt, or formulate an interstate compact.
Obviously, one lawyer from Greeley, Colorado might not move the
United States Congress, or the state of California all by himself,
however there were other problems occurring on the Lower river.
California had developed great irrigation projects in the Imperial
Valley. Their interest was threatened by two things.
First, the means to divert water from the Colorado River into the
Imperial Valley involved a canal, and the head works for this canal
was located in Old Mexico. This was perceived to be a great threat
to the Imperial Valley because there was no assurance that Mexico
would not simply shut the gates off one day. There was a tremendous
lobby in California for the construction of an All American canal, a
canal in which the headworks and the entire length of the canal is
within U.S. boundaries.
Secondly, in 1905 and 1906 there had been a periodic wet cycle
of tremendous proportion on the Colorado River that nearly caused the
river to seek a new channel. The river escaped from its bed, which
forms the boundary between Arizona and California, and went towards
the Imperial Valley. It created what we know today as the Salton Sea.
With emergency efforts, the river was shut off and diverted back into
its preexisting channel. Now you might ask yourself, "isn't this
what they wanted, the whole river?" At this point, the whole river
would have been too much, even for California. The Salton Sea
achieved such a size that the entire Imperial Valley could have been
inundated before the river found an outlet to the sea.
Therefore, in the Lower Basin, there was a great desire for the
construction of flood works, flood control, and the All American
canal. At this time, Arizona was very sparsely populated. However,
it was extraordinarily well represented in Congress. Carl Hayden, who
served in Congress practically forever, involved himself on Arizona's
behalf. He was inordinately suspicious of any kind of division.
However, with his great misgivings, Congress passed, in 1920 or 1921,
a bill authorizing the creation of a Compact Commission, provided for
the appointment of a federal representative, and authorized the
states, as required by the United States Constitution, to negotiate
a compact.
Two other forces contributed to this impetus towards
negotiations. It was the era of the rising hydropower development.
Entrepreneurs were seeking to build high dams, low dams and dams
everywhere they could in order to generate electricity. They were
thwarted in their activities by the lack of agreement, and the threat.
of interstate litigation over who had what rights on the Colorado
River. A power right, to the upstream states, was a terrifying
prospect. While it makes no great consumptive use of the water, it
calls for the entire flow of the river. If a power plant is on a run
of the river, you are able to create electricity with whatever
quantity of water flows through. There is an economic investment, and
a prior right for hydropower generation. What would be left for the
upstream states? What future depletion could they possibly make?
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