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<br /> <br />. <br /> <br />..... <br />I'.:! <br />... <br />.::.. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />HISTORY OF WATER RESOURCE DEVELOPME~T <br /> <br />Water exported from the Upper Basin during the period 1941-70 <br />averaged about 360.000 acre-feet per year. Completion of the large <br />projects such as the COlorado-Big Thompson, Duchesne Tunnel, Roberts <br />Tunnel, and the more recent projects such as the San Juan-Chama <br />Fryingpan-Arkansas. and Homestake resulted in increased diversions to <br />about 690,000 acre-feet in 1973. <br /> <br />Reservoir evaporation varies from year-co-year but the variations <br />have little effect on average streamflow depletions. For the period of <br />record considered. average reservoir evaporation in the Upper Basin was <br />not large until about 1963 when the Colorado River Storage Project Res- <br />ervoir started to store .....ater. In 1973 about 569.000 acre-feet .....ere <br />evaporated from the reservoirs and about 638.000 in 1974. Under normal <br />operating conditions, evaporation from the Colorado River Storage Project <br />reservoirs is expected to average about 568,000 acre-feet annually. <br /> <br />In the lo.....er basin. .....ater is diverted to municipal and industrial <br />projects and to irrigation districts. These M&I projects include the <br />Southern Nevada Water Project .....hich diverts .....ater from Lake Mead above <br />Hoover Dam. and the Metropolitan Water District .....hich diverts .....ater from <br />above Parker Dam and exports it to the Southern California coastal areas. <br />Belo..... Parker Dam .....ater is diverted for irrigation to the Colorado River <br />Indian Reservation and to the Palo Verde Irrigation District. At Imperial <br />Dam the .....ater is divided into three parts. On the left bank. it goes to <br />the Gila and Yuma Projects. on the right bank. it goes to the Imperial <br />and Coachella .....ater districts through the All American canal. .....ith the <br />remaining .....ater going to Mexico. Bela..... the Imperial Dam. .....ater is <br />delivered to Mexico as required by the treaty with Mexico. There is <br />essentially no flo..... belo..... Morelos Diversion Dam except for the bypassed <br />saline flo.....s from the Wellton-Moha.....k Drain Extension. <br /> <br />C. Legal Aspects. Water Quantitv <br /> <br />1. Colorado River Compact <br /> <br />Water of the Colorado River .....as divided bet.....een the Upper and Lo_er <br />Colorado River Basins by the Colorado River Compact .....hich .....as signed <br />in 1922 by a commissioner of each of the seven States of the river basin <br />and by a representative of the United States. All States but Arizona <br />ratified the compact prior to its effective date in 1929. The dividing <br />point on the river bet.....een the Upper and Lo.....er Basins is at Lee Ferry <br />.....hich is defined as a point 1 mile belo..... the mouth of the Paria River. <br />(Not to be confused .....ith Lees Ferry .....hich is the site of the gaging <br />station just above the Paria River.) The compact apportions from the <br />Colorado River system to each of the Upper and Lo.....er Basins in perpetu- <br />ity for exclusive beneficial consumptive use, a total of 7.500.000 acre- <br />feet annually. In addition to the apportioD.::lent of 7.500,000 acre-feet. <br /> <br />11 <br />