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,/') .") ",.',,' <:',;.,; 1ID~IP&\OO'ifUVAJrn~'iJ @!F 'iJoorn O~'iJrnOOO@oo INFORMATION SERVICE For Release At 10 A.M., Em', OCTOBER 24, 1957 OPENING REMARKS OF ASSISTANT SEORETARY OF THE INTERIOR FRED G. AANDAHL, AT OONFER- ENCE WITH GOVERNORS AND OTHER REPRESENTATIVES 01<' THE STATES OF THE COLORADO RIVER BASIN, OCTOBER 24, 1957 We in Interior are indeed pleased that the Oolorado Basin States are so well represented at this conference. It is our intended purpose to exchange basic information and explore operational possibilities during the initial storage and power head building period at Glen Oanyon. This is a subject of vital importance to all those gathered here today. As you may know, earlier in the year representatives of Arizona and Oalifornia inquired of the Department as to its plans relative to the storage of water in the Glen Canyon Reservoir. At the same time, we have had under consideration the premises and assumptions which must underlie the periodic reports the Department is required to make to the Congress under the Colorado River Storage Project Act, the first of which reports is due to be presented in January. Since these matters are af obvious interest to all of the States of the ~asin, it seemed appropriate to us that they be considered at a meeting at which all of the States would be represented. Accordingly, by our letters of July 26, 1957, which were addressed, respectively, to the Colorado River agencies of Arizona, Oalifornia, and Nevada, and to the Governors of COlorado, New MexiCO, Utah, and Wyoming, we indicated our intention to hold such a meeting at a mutually agreeable time in October with representatives of all of the Basin States. en October 4, by letters to each, we advised the &overnors and the appropriate State agencies of the proposed date of October 24. Those letters carried with them copies of a document entitled lfHydrologic Bases for Financial StUdies, Colorado River Storage Prajectlf \lhich document sets out the basic premises and asswnptiona relative to the gaining of initial storage and power head under which we have been preparing our current financial analysis. Parenthetically, let me observe that pending this meeting with all of you we have felt it inappropriate for representa- tives of the Department to discuss issues involved in this general subject with individual States or State bodies. It is to an analysis of these factors that we want to direct our attention at this meeting. As you have no doubt noted, our analysis has been on the basis of average streamflows during the period of 1958-1970. We all realize, of course, that the flows as they actually develop may in any particular year vary from the average. Whatever may be actual streamflow during the period of gaining initial storage and power head at Glen Canyon, it would appear to be desirable policy for this Depart- ment to so manage the water resources of the Colorado River Basin as not, through . its actions in reservoir operations, to impair deliveries of water to meet basin- wide consumptive uses.