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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />0022JD <br /> <br />CHAPTER II <br /> <br />DRAFT <br />August 30, 1989 <br /> <br />COLORADO RIVER BACKGROUND <br /> <br />The Colorado River is one of the most regulated river <br />systems in the United States and is the principal water <br />supply for the arid southwest, serving seven states (Arizona, <br />California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) <br />and the Republic of Mexico. Its reservoir system, which <br />provides for more than 60 million acre-feet of usable storage <br />capacity, represents a multi-billion dollar investment. That <br />investment presently provides a major source of water for <br />over 18 million people and 2.5 million acres of irrigated <br />agriculture in the United States and a major source of clean, <br />renewable energy. With respect to Mexico, the river <br />presently supports a population of about 1.5 million people <br />and about 0.5 million acres of irrigated agriculture. The <br />river also provides outstanding water-associated recreational <br />opportunities and excellent habitat for a variety of fish and <br />wildlife. Millions of people travel to the Colorado River <br />each year to fish, hunt, boat, water-Ski, sightsee, camp, and <br />take advantage of other recreational opportunities. <br /> <br />The manner in which the Colorado River reservoir system <br />is operated is governed by "The Law of the River", a <br />collection of interstate compacts, federal legislation, water <br />delivery and power generation contracts, state legislation, <br />United States Supreme Court decrees, federal administrative <br />actions, and a treaty and other agreements with Mexico. <br />These documents describe the water and power rights and <br />priorities of the seven Basin states and the entities within <br />those states, and the United States treaty obligation to <br />Mexico. They also describe the procedures to be followed for <br />the storage and release of water and for flood control <br />purposes, as well as other related matters. The Law of the <br />River, and its comprehensive and unique apportionment and <br />priority scheme, sets the over-appropriated Colorado River <br />apart from other river systems. Fully recognizing the vital <br />nature of the river's conservation storage, it basically <br />limits reservoir releases to only those necessary for <br />downstream consumptive water use needs or flood control. It <br />has been fashioned over a period of more than 60 years and is <br />relied upon extensively by the Basin states and Mexico, yet <br />remains dynamic to provide for clarification and resolution <br />of issueS. <br /> <br />II-l <br />