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<br />7,000,000 acre feet annually is now being, and for many <br />years to come will be, wasted into the Gulf of California. It <br />wiii be many years to curn~ hefore this supply can be entirely <br />used in the United States. <br />b. It has been suggested by some who oppose the treaty <br />that Mexico should be compelled to accept a maximum of <br />750,000 acre feet per year. This attitude completely ignores <br />all international obligations and equities between sovereign <br />nations. They point to the offer of the old International <br />Water Commission in 1929 in support of their stand. This <br />offer was rejected by Mexico, whose representatives adhered <br />to a demand of 3,600,000 acre feet per year. Furthermore, <br />the present treaty allocation does not compare unfavorably <br />with the 1929 uffer. That offer, which was conditioned upon <br />the building of the Boulder Darn, was for 750,000 acre feet <br />of firm water to be delivered according to schedule at the <br />point of actual use, thus involving the delivery of additional <br />quantities of water to compensate for all operational losses. <br />In addition to this, return and other excess flows in the <br />United States could be used by Mexico as they were avail- <br />able. On the other hand, the present allocations, because <br />of the stipulations of the treaty governing the Mexican <br />schedules of delivery, assure credit to the' United States of <br />practically all return and other excess flows originating in <br />this country under conditions of ultimate development <br />within the United States many years hence. [It is estimated <br />that these return flows, not susceptible of beneficial use <br />within the United States, will amount to 900,000 acre feet <br />per year or more, thus limiting the draft on upstream or <br />firm water to not more than 600,000 acre feet per year. This <br />represents about three percent of the annual average run- <br />off of the Colorado River System. In this respect, then, the <br />present treaty provision is more favorable to the United <br />States than the 1929 offer to Mexico.] <br /> <br />4 <br />