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<br />002:\37 <br /> <br />Chapter II <br /> <br />THE LONG SUIT <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br /> <br />The present ease, Arizona v. California, is the fifth in a series of <br />suits over the waters of the Colorado River. The specific circumstance <br />which brought about the current case was the decision of Congress not <br />to approve the Central Arizona Project, utilizing Colorado River water, <br />until the water rights question was solved. <br />In 1948 the Secretary of the Interior submitted a favorable report <br />to the Congress recommending the authorization and construction of <br />the Central Arizona Project. The project would serve the Tucson- <br />Phoenix area with 1.2 million acre-feet of Colorado River water a year. <br />Authorization bills for the project were unsuccessfully sought at the <br />79th, 80th, 81st and 82nd Congresses although some passed the Senate. <br />In 1951 the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs adopted <br />a resolution which resulted in the postponement of eonsideration of <br />bills relating to the Central Arizona Project until use of water in the <br />Lower Basin was either adjudicated or mutual agreement was reached. <br />Thus, on August 13, 1952, Arizona initiated this suit, The Arizon~ <br />complaint was against California and seven of its public agencies (Palo <br />Verde Irrigation District, Imperial Irrigation District, Coaehella Valley <br />County Water District, Mctropolitan Water Distriet of Southern Cali- <br />fornia, City of Los Angeles, City of San Diego and County of San <br />Diego). The original jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court, as pro- <br />vided in the Constitution, was invoked. <br />The complaint alleged that pursuant to the Colorado River Compact <br />and the Boulder Canyon Project Act, Arizona was entitled to the bene- <br /> <br />(40) <br />