BOARD01858

• Board Meeting Date: 1/12/1967
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Memos
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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and Flaming Gorge reservoirs. I have had our
staff prepare a chart which demonstrates what
we are talking about in 602 and why we had
to have additional storage reservoirs.

I

As stated in my memorandum, we have
waited many years for this moment in history
to arrive when we could clarify some of the
ambiguities of the Colorado River Compact.
Commissioner Johnson has mentioned that he
was in the Colorado legislature in 1923 when
the compact was ratified. At that time he
had grave reservations about the wisdom of
ratifying the compact. The State of Colorado
would have been much better off today had
there been more people like him in that
legislature. Literally, we were sold down
the river as I will demonstrate by this
chart. (Mr. Sparks used a large chart dis-
played on the stage to illustrate his
presentation) .

1

All of you can't see this chart too
well, but it is a study based upon the
historic flow of the river, the virgin flow
of the river at Lee Ferry for the period
1921-1965. 1921 was the first year when
actual measurements were started at Lee
Ferry. Before that time we have some esti-
mates of the river flow. In any event, we
do have accurate records of the river flow
from 1921, that is, the water year 1921, up
to the present time. If we go back to
reconstructed flows as far back as 1896 it
doesn't change this chart at all. The com-
pact commissioners in 1921 and 1922 had
ample evidence that the flow of the Colorado
River was highly erratic. They simply dis-
regarded that evidence and assumed a very
optimistic view as to the flow of the river.

The graph here illustrates the erratic
flows which have occurred since 1921 to the
present time, and which undoubtedly have
occurred throughout history. The scientists
doubt that the weather pattern has changed