Senate Joint Resolution 94-32 Concerning the Management, Conservation, and Preservation of Water Resources of CO

• Description: Laws, Acts, Policies: Ruling Affecting CWCB and Colorado Water
• State: CO
• Date: 7/1/1995
• Author: Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Resources, CWCB, Daries C. Lile, Hal D. Simpson
• Title: Senate Joint Resolution 94-32 Concerning the Management, Conservation, and Preservation of Water Resources of CO
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Legislation

Colorado River Basin and Compacts
The Colorado River and its tributaries drain portions of seven western states.
Colorado's use of these waters is apportioned pursuant to the Colorado River
Compact (1922), the Upper Colorado River Compact (1948), the La Plata River
Compact and the Animas -La Plata Project Compact. In addition, certain treaties,
federal statutes, and judicial decisions also control the allocation and use of the waters
of the Colorado River. In combination, these various compacts, treaties, federal
statutes and judicial decisions are referred to as the "Law of the Colorado River. "
In Colorado, the "Law of the Colorado River" impacts Water Divisions 4, 5,
6, and 7. The following are generally considered to be the major legal documents
comprising the "Law of the Colorado River" but are by no means all of them:
1922 Colorado River Compact
1928 Boulder Canyon Project Act (Hoover Dam and Lake Mead)
1940 Boulder Canyon Project Adjustment Act
1945 Water Treaty with Mexico
1948 Upper Colorado River Basin Compact
1956 Colorado River Storage Project Act (CRSP or CRSPA)
1964 Supreme Court Decree in Arizona v California
1968 Colorado River Basin Project Act
1970 Coordinated Long Range Operating Criteria -- Colorado River Reservoirs
1974 Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act
The background for each of the above laws are described in numerous books
and papers.' A basic understanding of these documents and their impact on Colorado
is important because they influence the amount of water available for consumptive use
in Colorado.
The following discussion briefly describes each of the major legal documents
in chronological order:
• The Colorado River Compact (1922)
The Colorado River Compact divides the Colorado River into Upper and
Lower Basins with the division being at Lee Ferry on the Colorado River one mile
below the Paria River in Arizona. The Lower Basin states are Arizona, California,
and Nevada, with small portions of New Mexico and Utah that are tributary to the
'One of the most complete and concise documents on the subject of the Colorado River was prepared
in 1978 by Nathonson, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, "Updating the Hoover Dam Documents."