BOARD02308

• Board Meeting Date: 1/3/1958
• Description: Minutes
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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Mr. Eakes concluded by saying that they did not
want to disturb any program under the Upper Colorado River
Storage Act nor enter into any controversy with the State
of New Mexico.

I

Mr. Moses asked for comments from the Bureau of
Reclamation officials on this question. Mr. Riter intro-
duced the Bureau officials attending the meeting and offered
to answer any questions anyone wished to ask. He spoke
briefly on the Mexican Treaty water question raised by Mr.
Toner.

){R. RITER:

"I was chairman of the technical com-
mittee which worked on the New Mexico
project plans. The 90mmittee recognized
the Mexican Treaty obligation but set no
definite amount on it. Some engineers
feel that a salvage of water will result
from projects in the Upper Basin and it
was assumed that this salvage may off-set
the Treaty obligation.

Mr. Hill, in his report, did not say
that there could not be a depletion of
7,500,000 acre feet in the Upper Basin,
but did recommend that for present plan-
ning purposes, the States should use
6,200,000 acre feet. Most States of the
Upper Basin have been reluctant to relin-
quish the 7,500,000 acre foot figure in
their plans. The Bureau of Reclamation
worked with the State of New Mexico on
these projects and recommended authoriza-
tion of a reduced Navajo Project and the
initial stage of the San Juan-Chama Proj-
ect, without the door being closed to
future expansion. The Bureau feels that
there is enough depletion allowance for
these two projects.

We also feel that the San Juan sec-
tion of the Upper Colorado River Compact 'I~'
is actually a sub-compact between Colo-
rado and New Mexico. With respect to
the power revenues, the percentages were
negotiated with Colorado and New Mexico
participating.