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<br />STANFORD LAW REVIEW
<br />
<br />[Vol. 19: Page 1
<br />
<br />such inAow is a credit against the United States' treaty obligation to Mexico.
<br />The Gila River system is nevertheless of great importance to the Lower
<br />Basin. The system and its related subsurface supply are the source of sub,
<br />stantially all the water used in central Arizona at the present time. It was
<br />estimated by the Commissioner of Reclamation in IgI)3 that a firm water
<br />supply of approximately 2.3 million acre-feet per year is available at diver-
<br />sion points on the Gila system to users in the area. One million acre, feet are
<br />from surface supply and the remainder comes from a safe annual yield of
<br />groundwater basins. In fact, to maintain the Arizona economy, a substan-
<br />tial overdraft (estimated to amount to an additional 2.2 million acre,feet
<br />annually) has been imposed on groundwater basins, and groundwater
<br />tables fell as much as ISO feet during the period 1952-1959."
<br />
<br />2. Economy of th~ basin.
<br />
<br />The economy of the Lower Basin--<:xcluding out,of-basin areas using
<br />Colorado River water-is based primarily on agriculture. In second place,
<br />but some distance behind, are mining and manufacruring, followed by
<br />recreation and service industries.
<br />The principal farming areas in the United States' portion of the Lower
<br />Basin are the Palo Verde Valley, near Blythe, California; the Imperial and
<br />Coachella Valleys, in the Salton Sink; the territory around Yuma, Arizona,
<br />near the confluence of the Gila and Colorado Rivers, where there are sev-
<br />eral Jarge,scak reclamation projects in both Arizona and California; and
<br />the central Alizona region, which is centered in Phoenix and has a number
<br />of irrigation projects using surface water from the Gila and its tributaries
<br />together with substantial amounts of groundwater." Agriculture in the
<br />Lower Basin is wholly dependent upon irrigation; and the controversy be-
<br />tween Arizona and California, discussed in Part IV of this Article, arose in
<br />parr from the desire of Arizona to bring supplemental water from the main
<br />stream of the Colorado to the region."
<br />The crops raised in th~ Lower Basin vary from district to district and,
<br />to a lesser extent, vary within a given district from year to year. Generally
<br />speaking, they include cotton, feed grains, citrus fruits, melons, and spe-
<br />cialty crops such as dates.
<br />Outside the basin, the sprawling metropolitan areas of southern Cali-
<br />fornia receive water from the Colorado through the Colorado River Aque-
<br />duct. Two major cities, Los Angeles and San Diego, are served by this sys-
<br />tem, together with many smaller municipalities and other entities that are
<br />
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />,.
<br />
<br />i:
<br />,
<br />
<br />
<br />49. HtaNniS on S. 1658 (C~rl/ral Arizonll Projut) Befo,.~ the Subcommiur'e on 'mga/ion and
<br />R~dlZmQ./io" of the StnaU Commiuu on /nlt!,-ior IInti ["Iulu ADairs, 88th Cong., JSt 6: :zd Sl::55. 45
<br />(1963) (stOltem~nt of Flo}'d E. DomiDY, Commi~sion~r of Redam:nion).
<br />50. MQs/~'s R~por' 45-60.
<br />5J. H~arirJgs on S. s658 (CrrJtral Ari:orlQ Pro;~C1), supra note 49. at I6R-jl.
<br />
<br />November 1966]
<br />
<br />members of th..
<br />palities receive \
<br />Boulder City.
<br />
<br />3. Wata III!
<br />As noted abc,
<br />Lower Basin is I
<br />ning with the y,
<br />acre-feer, follow,
<br />in 193' of 6.4 m
<br />9.7, and in 1934
<br />9,ralI figures I
<br />period IS!)6-196
<br />~cre,feet, and cl
<br />period was 14.9 '
<br />Both Hoovel
<br />out this variable
<br />enues to pay for I
<br />storage capacity
<br />the Lower BasiL
<br />friction betweeL
<br />"'pacity of 27.2
<br />downstream, Da
<br />ates the river, tt?
<br />entire reach of t' '
<br />Imperial Valley:
<br />trict. The orders
<br />clle Bureau (loco
<br />~t cl,e dam in tin
<br />Two other d
<br />'pcctivdy as dive
<br />lu Los Angdes)
<br />C,achdla Valle) I
<br />is designed to u
<br />the last structure
<br />under the Mexic,
<br />the Mexi"'n irri
<br />
<br />5:1.. St'r a~tTQl/y .'
<br />'3. 111. at 117.
<br />,.., WAT,UI. J'LA'" ]
<br />,~. Aitut"'S Nt'l'o!
<br />~L. /J. 201 39.
<br />!l7. /J..I 3b.
<br />
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