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<br />, <br /> <br />000401 <br /> <br />INTERSTATE WATER COMPACTS <br /> <br />By <br /> <br />Clifford H. Stone <br />Director of the Colorado ~ater Conservation Board <br /> <br />Before the Nebraska Coordinating Committee on Missouri Basin <br />Resources Development <br /> <br />Lincoln, Nebraska <br /> <br />March 13, 1951 <br /> <br />The subject assigned to me is that of "Interstate Water Compacts".. <br /> <br />I have chosen to broaden this subject bor discussing interstate compacts as <br /> <br />related to the problems incident to basin-wide development of water resources. <br /> <br />The legal and procedural phases of compact making, it may be assumed, <br /> <br />are fairly well understood by those interested in the development of the Nation's <br /> <br />rivers. Only relatively brief attention need be devoted to those phases in <br /> <br />this paper. The various purposes [hich a water compact among states may sprve, <br /> <br />on the other hand, are becoming more apparent in recent years. At the time of <br /> <br />the Colorado River Compact of 1922 the dominant concept vias that of amicably <br /> <br />resolving a potential controversy by allocating water supplies of a river sys- <br /> <br />tern. Even in that compact the possible conflict between certain uses of water <br /> <br />was envisioned and adjusted. But at that per.~od the many prqblems of basin- <br /> <br />wide development were not so acute as in this day when in many instances an <br /> <br />effort is being made to "cut the final pattern" of water utilization and con- <br /> <br />trol of an entire river system. <br /> <br />This involves critical questions relating to <br /> <br />the rights and interests of the States and those of the Federal government, to <br />