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<br />4
<br />
<br />STANFORD LAW REVIEW
<br />
<br />[Vol. '9: Page I
<br />
<br />probably t~nd to k~~p th~ Upp~r Basin's population small compar~d to
<br />oth~r rapidly ~xpanding ar~as of th~ Far W ~st. How~v~r, many commu-
<br />niti~s just outsid~ th~ Upp~r Basin are growing rapidly. A short dis-
<br />tance b~yond th~ p~rim~ter of the basin are the major cities of Denv~r,
<br />Colorado; Salt Lak~ City, Utah; and Albuquerque, N~w Mexico. Th~se
<br />~xpanding urban areas will place increasing pressur~ on the Upper Basin
<br />states to div~rt greater amounts of Colorado water to out-of-basin uses,
<br />ther~by cr~ating a con/lict with agricultural int~r~sts, which b~lieve that
<br />the riv~r should b~ us~d principally for the ~xpansion of in-basin irrigated
<br />acreage. Projected transbasin diversions have been estimated at some 2.7-
<br />3.0 million acre,feet annually, for use not only by Salt Lak~ City, Denv~r,
<br />and Albuquerque for municipal and industrial purposes, but also by farm-
<br />~rs on the arid lands of east~rn Colorado and Wyoming and in parts of
<br />New M~xico."
<br />In addition to supplying out-of,basin users, water must be all Oiled to
<br />fulfill federal obligations to the approximately 140,000 Indians within the
<br />basin." Approximately I million acre-fect are consumptively used for
<br />262,000 acres of Indian land, and projections indicat~ that 3 million acre-
<br />feet will ultimately b~ r~quired for some 610,000 acres."
<br />
<br />3. WaUr supply.
<br />
<br />The Colorado Riv~r originates in the web of many small streams on
<br />th~ western slope of th~ Rocky Mountain range where precipitation is
<br />h~avy, ranging from 15 to a little over 30 inches per year." Since the rains
<br />are gentle, much of the pr~cipitation falling below the snow lin~ percolates
<br />into the ground." The greater pan of the river's course-and of the courses
<br />of its two principal tributaries-is, how~ver, through arid land, where
<br />maximum precipitation is 15 inches and average precipitation is 10 inches
<br />or I~ss per year." Moreover, much of the rain evaporates before reaching
<br />th~ river, and channelloss~s amount to about 6 per cent of the virgin /low"
<br />r~aching Lee Ferry.'.
<br />Uneven precipitation on the eroded terrain of southern Utah and north-
<br />ern New Mexico produces a heavy sediment load in the main stream, ~spe-
<br />cially after it is joined by the San Juan Riv~r." The accumulation of sedi,
<br />men! sharply decreases the utility of ~ngineering works. On~ hundred
<br />
<br />.23. CoLORADO RIvEIl 151; 'fEN RIVERS 41441.
<br />24. 1"E.S RlVU-!. 4136. Thl: larg~t concl:nu:nion of Indians i!. found in tht "four c.OTntn" :lTl:a of
<br />New Mexico, Colorado, Uuh, and Arizona where lhe Navajo uibe is loc..ated.
<br />.25. Ibid.
<br />.26. CoLORADO RIVER 124.
<br />.27. JEN RIVERS 357.
<br />.28. CoLORADO RIVER 411 (facing page).
<br />.29. Vll"gln flow is ddltled as the Bow of Ihe rivtr before man enleTed the ba!itin.
<br />30. 2 UPPER CoLO. CoUPACT CoMMIS'IO-""ERS, RECORD, Meeting NO.1, at 19 (covering the ptriod
<br />191-4-1945) [herinaf[a cited as RECORD J.
<br />31. J.EN RlVI.IlS4I2g.
<br />
<br />?,o\"anber 1966]
<br />
<br />thousand acr~-fccI of
<br />it is estimated that"
<br />lUsin projects will h
<br />Another narural :
<br />ri"er of wat~r-<onsur
<br />wood trees. One csti,
<br />\'C's;::C't:ltion" at 20 to:
<br />Il.3sins. u
<br />
<br />4. Slorag~ u.orks .
<br />
<br />urge-scale irril"l'
<br />~ter the passage of I
<br />,'doped "mainl)' in s.
<br />man)' tributaries,""
<br />When !lie Uppel
<br />a"erage annual clcplc
<br />a' follows: (J) agriCl
<br />hasin di\'~rsions, 43.7,
<br />(3) domestic use, J4
<br />Reservoi, and c"a
<br />the same period brou
<br />feet at sites of usc an,
<br />Ralification of Ill<
<br />,'dopment and result
<br />^ct of J~" the pre
<br />3ct aUlhnrius thrce t)
<br />wcre aUlhoriud so tl
<br />li"cry (~)Iigations 31 I
<br />paling prnjccls," dC"
<br />,,:;uion unib. tW('ln)'.'
<br />lI.e acL h ha, been est
<br />rruj('('u, ;inti rC'~n'o.
<br />acre.frrl annuall..."
<br />,ll,e princip.I'''nr.
<br />and Rncn'nir 31 Grc
<br />3.~~ mill,nn aere.feet
<br />
<br />)J. 1tI. .1"9- ,U.
<br />II 1tI... "9
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<br />J.. eo...o..AIII) kl'YLI ,....
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