BOARD01598

• Board Meeting Date: 9/27/1946
• Description: Table of Contents and Minutes
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

It waB understoo~ that the engineering staff of the Board would
continue the study of this report preparatory to consideration by the Board
at a future meeting of the Colorado comments which would be formally
submitted to the Secretary of the Interior.

23

The Board recessed at 12:10 PM to reconvene at 1:30 PM.

I

Afternoon Session - September 28, 1946

The meeting recon~ened and was called to order by Vice-Chairman
Chris Wallrich at 1:30 PM.

Frank C. Merriell, Engineer-Seoretary of the Colorado River Water
Conservation District. made a statement respecting the Colorado River report
of the Bureau of Reclamation. He indicated certain objections to the report
which should be urged' by the State in its formal comments to the Secretary of
the Interior. He commented further respecting the available water supply in
the Upper Basin for future project development and stated that it was his
present opinion that if the undesirable projects were eliminated there would
be enough water in the Upper Colorado River Basin adequately to take care of
the water development program of the State~

Recognizing the necessity of action on the Colorado River report.
consideration was given to the fixing of a meeting of the Board to give further
consideration to this report, allowing sufficient time to complete Colorado's
study of the report.

Thereupon it was moved by Mr. Dille and seconded
by Mr. Pugha that the next meeting of the Colorado Water
Conservation Board be held on December 6 and 7, 1946.

Upon vote being taken the motion was unanimously
passed and declared adopted.

I

Director Stone made an exhaustive report concerning problems, which
have arisen respecting the authcrization and financing of reclamation
projects. He reviewed the issues growing out of the opinions of the Solicitor
of the Department of the Interior, interpreting Section 9 of the Reclamation
Project Act of 19391 he explained the purpose of the "Robinson Bill" introduced
in the CongresB to clarify the meaning of that Actl and he explained the
conferences which had been held with the Bureau of Reclamation concerning the
matter. In this connection he discussed the public benefit features of
reclamation development and efforts which have been made to provide that the
cost of fish and wildlife and silt and salinity control benefits should be non-
reimbursable. He also pointed out that, in order for reclamation development
to proceed, a different formula for determining project economic justification
and authorization should be devised since the present day costs of proposed
reclamation development make it impossible to qualify few reclamation projects
under Section 9 of the 1939 Reclamation Act. He stated that there was general
agreement that the interest rate on investments in power features of reclamation
projects should be reduced from three percent per annum to two percent per
annum. He called attention to the Board that the issues involved would, no
doubt, result in some action being taken in the next Congress and that he was
endeavoring to keep the Board fully informed on the subject.