Laserfiche WebLink
<br />-'. ......, .. ,., .. .. ... · · .. · ::Iiki.~~I'1ft~ <br />Editor's note: This is a report I to return their water to the Industrial. dere.k>... €nr'lii';the <br />QIl an environmental crisis that river while California often Colorado River;; <br />cou.ld significantly effect Colo- doesn't, and it was the salt C{l&- affected by,~, <br />rado and other Colorado River tent in Arizona return floW$ to salinity pro -"" <br />states. It also accentuates the the river that initially caused will be <br />awareness that air and wate!" salinity in the rivet' to become Kaiparowitf <br />pollution doesn't respect na- an international problem back <br />tiooal boundaries. in 1961. (Of the tDtal amount of <br />WAS H I N GTON-Herbert water used for irrigatioo. water <br />Brownell Jr., now at a vacation engineers estimate that one-balf <br />hideaway, is bonH'lg up on Colo- returns to the river, and that is <br />rado Rh.er salinity as the Pres- known as return [low.) <br />ident Nixon's special represent- That the Colorado River is <br />ative to evaluate the critically getting increasingly Wine is <br />important problem of salt in agreed OR all sides. Recent <br />the Colorado Rivet'-8 problem studies by the Eovironmetttal <br />poisoning U.S.*Mexican rela. Protection Agency (EPA) and <br />tions. by the Bureau of Reclamation <br />Brownell is under orders document UIa1 fact. <br />from Presideot Nixon, who ALL SIDES <br />uamed the e.J:-attorney gmeral Southern California water :iJl.. <br />arbiter ol the dispute oa Aug. t ere s t s already have their <br />16, "to find a permanent, water tied down by actual use. <br />definitive and just solution" by But the four Upper Basin <br />the year's end to Conrado states-Colorado, New Mexico, <br />River water salinity. Utah and Wyoming-and the <br />For the record, Brownell is to two Lower Basis states of <br />look at the problem of rising Arizona and Nevada are just in <br />salt co.ntent in the Colorado the process: of using their allot. <br />River, to meet Mexico's de- ted shares of Colorado River <br />mands fur usable water from water. They are terribly coo- <br />the river at the international cemed that their share of the <br />border. The United States is River will either be shaved or <br />bound by a 1944 treaty to their use of Colorado River cur* <br />deliver 1,500,000 acre.feet of tailed by the salinity problem <br />water annually from the Colora* vis-a-vis Mexico, <br />do Riyer to Mexico, There is no The powerful Office of Budget <br />mention about water quality in sid - Management (OMB) is <br />the treaty. reluctant to allow funding of <br />But from a practical point of new water development proj- <br />view, Brownell's rewmmen- ects In the Upper Basin States. <br />dawns to the Pre;ident will Tbat the Savery-Pot Hook Proj.- <br />also determine what is to be eel on the Colorado-Wyoming <br />done about Colorado River border has again been shelved <br />salinity along the entire 1.400 i.s Indicative of its attitude. <br />miles of the' river from its DEFER MORE <br />source in the Rocky Mouotainll The Colorado River salinity <br />of Colorado until it empties into problem could be aad probably <br />the Gulf of California. will be the handle that OMB <br />The seven Colorado River uses to defer more Upper Basin <br />Basis states-Arizona, Califor- projects in the future, many -of- <br />nia, Colorado. Nevada, New ficia1s here belleve, Future <br />Mexico. Utah and Wyoming- Upper Basin water development <br />will be affected, along with will be in competition for -feder* <br />Mexico. by Brownell's rerom- at dollars that will be needed to <br />mendatioos to the President. build various types of desalting <br />Southern California cannot projects on the Colorado River. <br />help but be beneficially affected The Bureau of Reclamation <br />by any means of reducing the has proposed a lo-year program <br />salt C(llltent of the river be- [or mitigating the salinity in <br />cause the Colorado's waters are the river which carries a $500 <br />used extensively_ million price tag. <br />SAME QUALITY The billion-dollar Central ArI. <br />President Luis Echeverria AI. zone Project, Just at the point <br />varez of Mexico is insisting that of being started, runs the same <br />Mexico receive the same qua}i* risk. Rich Johnson, e:rtartive _ <br />ty of. Colorado River water at director of the Central Arizona <br />the international border as -that Pro j e c t Association, said. <br />delivered at lmperia! Dam in "There may indeed be a moral <br />the United States. obligation" for the United <br />Imperial Dam is the last big States "to deliver water of <br />delivery point of Colorado River reasonably good quality to <br />water in the United States on users In Mexico; but there i.s at <br />the river. It serves the two big least an equally compelling <br />irrigation distriCts in extreme moral obligatioa on the part of ::1 <br />Southern California-Coachella the United S1ate3 gnvernment ."{. <br />Valley and Imperial to resolve the salinity problem <br />Imperial Dam also makes without damaging the rights of <br />some water deliveries to Ari- water users in Arizona and <br />rona water usen in the Yuma other states 01 the Colorado <br />~:-~ water usen have River Basin." <br /> <br /> <br />......... -'... .... -I ~. ....... <br /> <br />.;-".,. . in Colorado, Although the appointment olio! SaliRe Water (OSW), EPA nia water interests, toroier <br />".,Y"""'. " will also Brownell is widely regarded ~Sland ~tate ~partment that Sen: Thomas E. Kuch',I, ,..R..' <br />.. ,look, as large- an excellent choice, there IS there: IS no QUlcK., cheap solu- Calif., and Southern CalU'Ol'Iiia <br />[ihale development universal agreement among lion. congressmen got provislon3in <br />\a lOt of water ago water experts here in the The White Hosue is in the the legislation authorizing;':~ <br />the"salinfty problem. Bureau of Reclamation. Office process of setting up for Brow- Upper Colorado storage project <br />.r ''-. . oeD "an interagency task force in 1956, the Navajo-San.JlIaI'J <br />of technical experts and spe- Chama projects: in New Me;ico <br />cialists" to help him, Among in 196Z and tbe Fry~ <br />the federal agencies expected to Arkansas project in Colorado:in <br />be represented on the task 1962 calling for salinity ~. <br />force are the Dep.artments of on the ri~.er by tile B~l!::;~ <br />State, Interior, Army (Corps or Reclamation. . '':.':.;'f~ <br />Engineers), Agriculture, EPA, Funding for these. stud.l,eli:.ftt <br />OMB and the OffIce of Science toe 1973 fiscal year 1$ ~,~~ <br />and Teclmology. - about $1 million over:._'~ <br />It is likely that tbert' will also budget estimates - duEt :to~et- <br />be representatioo. from the fortS by lval V. Goslin- ~~ <br />Committee of 14 _ 11m water Upper Coklrado River ~ <br />experts from each Colorado sian, M~ B. HoIhurt Of;tj1e <br />River Basin state. Tbere will be CoI~do River Board ot,.~ <br />much jockeying by both federal fonua and others. : D.-"; <br />agencies and the Colorado FIRST ClUSIS. . .. .::~-~:~ <br />River Basin states to get on tJreo The first salinity. ~ at~ <br />BrowneII task force, on tile Colorado River 1n ~9t,!- <br />Then a prolonged droogh<;-:t!>e <br />MAKE CERTAIN filling of L.ake Powell ~ ~ <br />Also the Colorado River Basin Glen Canyon Damand'-liake <br />state! want to make certain Navajo behind Navajo. ~:~ <br />that they will be included in the the C1:lmpletien of a ~;: <br />decision-making process. Vice drainage system on the . ,_. ',' <br />President Spiro Agnew is in the Mc>hawk Division of t:h~~ <br />process of writing to Colorado Project in Arizooa, ~...f!P. <br />River Basin state governors "the average annual sat~~, <br />stating that they and their state the water received bY""Me:iX&i <br />engineers will be "consulted ... from about 850 ~~~ <br />early in the game.>> salt) per million (~~ <br />For nearly 20 years the Colo- wa~) ~ lIearIy.l,~ ~.~ <br />rado River Board of California million, according to ~,$ <br />~:" :', . , A.P' Wl,..- has been concerned about salin- Gantz of the State De~ <br />yrSAIJ"NITY OF COLORADO RIVER ity in the Colorado RiVet. At This crisis was met 'P1i>:tlit <br /> <br />lalinity problem of Colorado River," the request of Southern Califol'> Continued on po;_ ~>~ <br /> <br />Colorado's <br />owo... <br /> <br /> <br />" <br /> <br /> <br />:"'" ",__-':iir:"':'" <br />J ',:. .~""". ~n'(1 <br />j"'J~."u",~ . 'J'~ <br />-,.....-. d....'., .., .L_'. <br />. -.-' .- <br />. .-.'. ,u_'_..',." <br />, ..._.'c-,.... <br />....,.., ..... <br />'.1:'-;,1. .. ._."u .,..:.... ~. <br /> <br />2074 <br /> <br /> <br />'iJ;.~ <br />