BOARD02144

• Board Meeting Date: 8/14/1947
• Description: Minutes and Resolution
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

73.

I

John C. Page, former Commissioner of the Bureau of Rechmation,
who is a resident. of Colorado and who has taken a vi tal interest in
Colorado River matters, stated that he wished to emphasize the necessity
of Colorado formulating a definite policy v..ith respect tn the Colorado
River. He said; "Thi s is going to be a hot seat. Ilariy bills relating
to tile Colorado River are !'Ping to come before the Congress and tha
Board shoul d be ready to take a derini te position with respect tn them."

Discussion ensued relative tc any action which the Board should
take at the present meeting relating to the se problems, and whether or
not any attempt mould be made to set forth directives tn be kept in
mind at the fur thcaning meeting of Governor s at Cheyenne, Wyoming. It
was fimll y decid ed that until further study hBd been undertaken, the
Board should merely expre ss its support of early consuIIlll1l.tion of an
Upper Colorado River Basin Compact consistent with the ascertainment
of all pertinent facts and legal considerations involved in the making
of a COOlpa ct.

Accordingly, it was moved by L. Ward Bannister and
seconded by Silmon Smith that the Colorado Water Conserva-
tion Board favors the consummation of an Upper Colorado River
Basin Compoct at the earliest possible date consistent with
full consideration of all of the engineering facts end legal
problems involved in the making of a Compact.

Upon vote being taken, the motian WaS unanimously
carri sd and declared adopted.

Silmon Smith, at thi s point, made a statemsn t reI ating to project
investigations in western Colorado and expressed the fear that these
investigations were not proceeding on a par wi th investiga tions fur
transmountein diversion s. He called a.ttention to the principle, there-
tofore approved by tile Board, that exportations of Colorado River water
from the Basin were subject tn the protection of pres611t and prospective
uses of water ,.1.thin the Basin. This principle, he explained, cannot be
fully carried out unless adequate studies are completed to indicate the
potential uses within the Basin. He warned that if the State is to
succe ssfully carry out it s e stabli shed policy, the Board should see to
it that investigations for water utilization and control v,1.thin the
Basin and for exportations out 0 f the Basin are fully integrated and
kept on an equitable level of 9Ccomplishmsnt.

I

The Director explained that, recogniurl'g the validity of Mr. Smith's
statement, there had been set up a steering corrmittee, mede up of the
Directors of Region 4 and of Region 7, the Chief Hydraulic Engineer of
the Bureau of Reclamation and himsel f a s Director 0 f the Colorado Water
Conservation Board, tn accomplish the objectives which Mr. Smith had
mentioned. T10is conmittee had held severAl meetings am was attempting
to integrate project investigations for the utilization of Colorado River
water ,,"-thin the state and to ascertain potential uses within the natural
basin am the amount of surplus which could be exported from the Basin
and at the same tine protect present and potential uses in yrestern Colorado.

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