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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />HISTORY OF THE COLORADO RIVER COMPACT <br />AND THE UPPER COLORADO RIVER BASIN COMPACT <br /> <br />The Lower Basin states developed earlier and more rapidly than the Upper <br /> <br />Basin states. The Imperial Valley, irrigated with waters of the Colorado River, <br /> <br /> <br />became a productive agricultural center in the early 1900's. The seven Colorado <br /> <br /> <br />River Basin states became increasingly interested in settling the potential claims <br /> <br /> <br />to the waters of the Colorado River, because the Upper Basin states feared that <br /> <br /> <br />early appropriations in the Lower Basin would foreclose later development of the <br /> <br /> <br />Upper Basin under the prior appropriation doctrine. This doctrine of IIfirst in time, <br /> <br /> <br />first in rightTt was reeognized by the Supreme Court in Wyomin~ v. Colorado, 259 <br /> <br /> <br />U.S. 419 S.Ct. 552, 66 L.Ed. 999 U922) as the do~trine governing the interstate use <br /> <br /> <br />of waters in the West. The Lower Basin states were motivated toward a settlement <br /> <br />by their desire that the United States undertake dam projects (or flood protection, <br /> <br />storage, and power generation. The issue of water allocation had already become a <br /> <br /> <br />point of litigation between some of the states and the United ~tates refused to <br /> <br /> <br />invest in any federal reclamation project on the Colorado River until these <br /> <br /> <br />cantliets were resolved. <br /> <br />Negotiations on the Colorado River Compact were begun in i9i2 by the <br /> <br /> <br />Colorado River Commission, created by resolution at the August, 1920 meeting of <br /> <br /> <br />the League of the Southwest, and consisted of a representative appointed from <br /> <br /> <br />each of the seven Basin states and Herbert Hoover, then Sec~etary of Commerce, <br /> <br /> <br />who acted as Chairman, representing the United States. <br /> <br /> <br />In his opening"remarks to the Commission Hoover said: <br /> <br />"'This conference is unique in its attempt to <br />determine states' rights over so large an area by ami- <br />cable agreement. Indeed it has wider proportions than <br />this in its realization of common interest, need of joint <br />consideration, etc. in order that the greatest possible <br />benefits may be derived for the whole of our people <br />from one of the most precious possessions of our <br />countrv." Minutes and Record of the First Ei hteen <br />Sessions of t e Colorado River CommiSSlon, page 4. <br /> <br />-4- <br />