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<br />Colorado River Basin and Compacts <br /> <br />The Colorado River and its tributaries drain portions of seven western states. <br />Colorado's use of these waters is apportioned pursuant to the Colorado River <br />Compact (1922), the Upper Colorado River Compact (1948), the La Plata River <br />Compact ap.d the Animas-La Plata Project Compact. In addition, certain treaties, <br />federal statutes, and judicial decisions also control the allocation and use of the waters <br />of the Colorado River. In combination, these various compacts, treaties, federal <br />statutes and judicial decisions are referred to as the "Law of the Colorado River." <br /> <br />In Colorado, the "Law of the Colorado River" impacts Water Divisions 4, 5, <br />6, and 7. The following are generally considered to be the major legal documents <br />comprising the "Law of the Colorado River" but are by no means all of them: <br /> <br />1922 Colorado River Compact <br />1928 Boulder Canyon Project Act (Hoover Dam and Lake Mead) <br />1940 Boulder Canyon Project Adjustment Act <br />1945 Water Treaty with Mexico <br />1948 Upper Colorado River Basin Compact <br />1956 Colorado River Storage Project Act (CRSP or CRSPA) <br />1964 Supreme Court Decree in Arizona v California <br />1968 Colorado River Basin Project Act <br />1970 , Coordinated Long Range Operating Criteria--Colorado River Reservoirs <br />1974 Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act <br /> <br />The background for each of the above laws are described in numerous books <br />and papers. 1 A basic understanding of these documents and their impact on Colorado <br />is important because they influence the amount of water available for consumptive use <br />in Colorado. <br /> <br />The following discussion briefly describes each of the major legal documents <br />in chronological order: <br /> <br />· The Colorado River Compact (1922) <br /> <br />The Colorado River Compact divides the Colorado River into Upper and <br />Lower Basins with the division being at Lee Ferry on the Colorado River one mile <br />below the Paria River in Arizona. The Lower Basin states are Arizona, California, <br />and Nevada, with small portions of New Mexico and Utah that are tributary to the <br /> <br />'One of the most complete and concise documents on the subject of the Colorado River was prepared <br />in 1978 by Nathonson, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, "Updating the Hoover Dam Documents." <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />'In;., <br /> <br />-.-. <br />