|
<br />
<br />,
<br />!
<br />~
<br />"
<br />-~
<br />i.'i!a,sj~ states S~;!~?t~ ~I~~r~ more cOl!lroJ l!,,~~~rt1!~i;CoJoradl! Ri.~~g
<br />
<br />
<br />\ l'~".'!E; OR 4a YEARS the Colorado .Rlver occur at different times 1Il mUerent places 1m. ProbablY~DeCause the1basiC issue of allllg a Colorado HlverCommt:iS10nlo deal
<br />\ ..~~::;~' .~ has been a .....ell-behaved captive of across the Basin. ',I . .~~ apportioning water among the !3asin states on a su:.1allled bastS \\,lth all ,these lllterre.
<br />, . i~ .' thl! plumbers dL the Bureau of Hecla. ...J !1/ One lesson of this waterlogged summer was sufficienUy~ controversial that what lated 1 Issues of river admuu:.tratlon., The
<br />f.b(qnallon. ThLS year the captive suddenly POINT has been that Lhe conflicts and potential might happen' after the dams were built commissioners, composed of a representa.
<br />~.,~ "'oke loose, filling every dam from Wyo- BRUCE .:IJ'}' trade-orrs between these multiple users are w~ something of an abstracllon that coukl live of each B asm slate, together with a
<br />.~. g 10 MeXICO and runnmg WIde open of VIEW B,ABBlTT .\) not always easy to reeonclle.To optimize watlfort.henextgeneratlon. !:' ,federal representatiVe, should be author-
<br />'. through the spillways of Glen Canyon and ( benefits for one may be to mmimize them Over the' years, . however,: 'the Basin lzed to deal broadly WIth nver admmb:tra.
<br />H~.tll.Qover Dam, noodmg Mver selUements .: . .. -I for another. With the dams full, the time states have' joined to~ether in 'ad hoc or. lion. By bringIng such issues together into
<br />:~ 'j~t; an~ munda~g large areas of farmland m (. ~l.IC4l Barlaoltl$ll1le lloWltnot.?, ~'lQfl~,..l;1 for plannmg and consultabon ls reduced r ganizations: to': solve' fiver _management one high.level forum, the Basm ~tates could .!
<br />I' .rtirfhe VOlled States and ~Iexlco. il.:""""" ". .;....':. '"j. ,., '::'\"",,1 and the need for clear and effective com. problems 'as they arose. In 1919. the states commurucate more eHectwely and gen. .
<br />. '1"d~''fhe high ,w~ter has raised an old ques. . I munication is greatly increased." formed the Colorado Riv~r League to begm erate a stronger, more urufled eHort III :
<br />; ;~fum: "Who s m ~rg~?" _In the Lower '.r; I'" jf " . The time is ~t hand to form a Colorado \: the proc~ that culminated in the Colorado Congress and the Intenor Department. I j
<br />\ 'IS:' ,llasm stales of Anwna, Califonua and Ne. trois by C1lmputer the UmUlg and volume of River CommlSSlon, consisting of represent.J River Compact: signed m Santa Fe in 1922. Such a comrnlSSlOn would not be em. I
<br />I \t::ty~da, . some soggy river dwellers com. water deli\'ery, using and reusmg the - aUves of the seven Basin stales and theJ 11len in 1944, the slates formed the "Com. powered to aUocate water right1i among or \'
<br />. ~ plained of a manmade nood caused by l~e stream before passmg the remnan~' on federal government. The trade-offs be- mittee of Fourteen" whicb took an active WIthin slates or to Indian tribes -:- for het.
<br />I jg:~ Bureau of ReclamatIOn. The Upper BaSin down to MeXICO. 1 ~.. I, tween conservation storage, flood -control role in negotialutg the Colorado River trea. ter or worse, these lSSues remam for the ~
<br />~~W;'l~~es. perchl'd safely above most of Ihe The Bureau's hegemony over the river and hydropower generation could then be ty with Merico: :..~l: ,,;.,.,:'. '~'IJ~ 1 courts - and its formal. power should be I
<br />t ~~P.00d damage, amI ever COnsciOUS, of thelT has developed across the years by com. put on the table. and discussed from the . The "Committee of fourteen" was reac. conditioned upon the ability of the. seven
<br />~ ,~~riero. to store .....ater for downstream delJv. pact. laws and court decisions. and It is diffenng perspectives of the vmous ::.1ates:' tivated in 1970, and it'successfully defended h1ates to reach unanimous agreement on
<br />; ~.~ 1ry.in dry )'ears, are properly remmdmg us subject to many conllictmg demands. Wa. A n\'er commiSSIOn could bnng the ::.1.8te5,,- the intereh1s of the BaSJJl'~1.at('S in the issues of nver admllUstratlon and pla~g.
<br />r "!.J!l\a~ much of th,e damage could have been ler users in distant cities outside the river together to begm discUSSing tilt! peI1>lexing course of federal negotiations to establish But when the seven Basin ~1ateS do hnd
<br />I ~nl;)ided by staymg out of a clearly marked basm, such as Los Angeles, DeO'w'er and AI. que::.1ions of sharing shortages and meeting salinity standards for MericaI!-, water de- common ground, they ought to have higher
<br />~:. fl,~ plam. Two congressIOnal committees buquerque, want the dams full to ensure the Mexican Treaty obligations m tL'1leS of livenes. Then in 1973, the states established ViSibIlity, more uruty and some measure of ,;
<br />, ~~. deCided to come west to Investigate. maxImum water supply In dry years. The inadequate suppiy. Difficult as tht.'se issues-!$-,the Colorado River Salinity Control Forum, legal authonty to mstruct their federal.
<br />, :41::' Mo~1 Westerners are only vagu~ly aware farmers and communities along the river are, It will be much easier to dL.'iCUSS them' a cooperative organization~. which has trustee, the Bureau of Reclamation, on
<br />~-:: 'that.the Bureau of Reclamation IS the un- banks would obVIOusly prefer a litUe less when the reservoIrS are full rather Lhan achieved considerable success in planrung these management ISSues.
<br />i.1 p.;.~putcd water master of the Colorado Rlv. !>1orage and more space for flood control. when the crisis arrives. and implementing basin.wide':Pf,oJects to The trustee operates the river for our
<br />~ 't 'f:r., T!.le Bureau bUlI~ an~ operates the lIydroelectnc power use.rs want the fiver One may ask why no commISSion to ad. " control salt contamination.~!N!"'nlt ~ .' benefit, and It is time for the bene~lclanes
<br />1 ~ st~~" ~qUeducts and pumpmg stations. It regulated to supply maximum amounts of minister t~ nver was created .....~en the It ls now time ~o take the ne~t"evolutlon' to take the next step mthe contmumg evo.
<br />:!'1i:~g~, and desalts ". m~', And It con- electnclty at peak demand,~~~...~lucb Colorado River Compact was negollated In ary step by secunng federallegll;laUon ere. lullon 01 Mver management ..,,1ltullOns. .
<br />
<br />\~~ ~
<br />.' - "" ".......-
<br />i~.
<br /><.~
<br />,
<br />..
<br />~\\,
<br />',-
<br />
<br />'-.
<br />
<br />"j
<br />,
<br />
<br />/-
<br />
<br />-'
<br />
<br />=
<br />,=
<br />',:..-
<br />.{-.l
<br />IN
<br />,'-'"
<br />I
<br />
<br />I-
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />
<br />
<br />'-. ,
<br />
<br />-
<br />
|