BOARD02177

• Board Meeting Date: 5/5/1952
• Description: Minutes and Resolution
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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~,~ 6. 2

The Director stated that, in his oplnlon, if the status quo can be
maintained, it is desirable tl continue these negotiations in an eHort
to reach an amicable adiustment until such time as it is evident Cblorado's
interests in the water ~uPPlies of the North Platte River cannot be preserved,
except thrqugh modification of' the decree of the United States Supreme Court.

Those who have participated on behalf of Colorado in these conferences.
are George J. Bailey, Clifford H. Stone, Deputy'A ttorney General Lawrence
Hinkley, Jean S. Breitenstein and R. M. Gildersleeve.

I

After discussion of the subject, Vice-Chairman Bailey announced
that, under the resolution of the Board, no further action of the Board
is required at the present time. .

The D:i,rector sugges~ed that Hr. Breitenstein report on the status
of the efforts to secure modification of the application of the land limi-
tation provisions of the Federal Reclamation law vd.th' respect to t he San
Luis Valley ~roject.

Thereupon, the Vice-Chairman requested Mr. Breitenstein to report on
this matter.

Mr. Breitenstein reviewed the efforts which had'been made since 1945 to
secure a modification of the 160 acre land limitation provisions of the Federal
Reclamation laws as they would apply to the San Luis Valley Project, and
particularly to the lands under the Conejos unit of that project. He ex-
plained that the Platoro Dam, a multiple-use structure on the Conejos
River, to provide flood control and conservation capacity for irrigation
of lands in the Conejos Water Conservancy District, was completed so as
to go into operation during the present irrigation season. He referred
to the contract between the District and'the Government, and the necessity
of obtaining sub-contracts between the district and the individual water
users before the conservation capacity of the reservoir could be used for
irrigation. A form of contracts with the water users had been submitted
to the Board of Directors of the district by the 'Bureau of Reclamation
and these were unanimously rejected. Other arrangements of the Bureau
of Reclamation which had been attempted in order to secure the use of
the conservation capacity of the Platoro Dam during the present irrigation
season had failed. He stated that, as a result of this situation, he
and tfJe Director of the Board had discussed the matter wi th the Colorado
Senators and Congressman Chen~~eth, in whose district t~e project lies,
as well as TIi t~ 'ylayne Aspinall, who is a member of the Interior and
Insular Affairs COlWlittee of the Bouse. It vms decided that the only
recourse left was the introduction of'a bill in the Congress for the
purpose of securing the desired modification of the land lim~tation pro- I
visions of the Federal Reclamation laY.', so far as they apply to the San
Luis Valley Project. Such a bill, previously passed by the Con3ress
without a dissenting vote, had been 'vetoed t~ the President. The Colorado
Senators recommended that another effort of this kind should be newT
attempted. S. 2610 accordingly had been introduced and a companion bill
also introduced in the House. The Interior and Insular Arrairs Committee