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.., ..... MEMORANDUM CONCERNING TRANSllOUfTAIN DIVERSION PROJECTS April 21, 1948 From: Clifford H. Stone, Director, Cclorado ~ater Conservation Board This memorandum is written for the ~urpose of appraisin~ the status of m proposed report on, and problems incident to transmour.tain diversion projects in ColoradO for utilization of Colorado River water. It is prepared after a re- view of the situation by the Director cf the Colorado Water Conservation Board with Avery A. Batson, Region 7, Bureau of Reclamation,and after consideration of the matter by the Colorado Water Conservation Board. It has been stated by the Bureau of Reclamation that a report on the first unit, or stage, of the proposed Gunnison-hrkansas Project would be submitted to the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation in Washington, D. C. July 1948.. The impression may have been gained by interested groups in ColoradO that this would be a project report for submission, under Section I of the 1944 Flood Con- trol Act, to all affect8d states and interested Federal Agencies and would be used at this time to seek Con~ressional authorization of the project. It is common knollledge of the sponsors of this project as well as of those in Western Colorado .,ho may be adversely affected by the proposed Gunnison- Arkansas Project plan, or any feature or unit thereof, that it involves possible controversial issues and intrastate and interstate relations on the Colorado River. Under these circumstances, it seems ~ell to point out some of the problems which are involved and to explain a reporting procedure approved by the Colorado Water Conservation Board and which is consistent with the formulation of an overall ColoradO wnter development program. The problems are: 1. As indicated by the Colorado River Basin report of the Bureau of Re- clo.mation, it is not like:!.y tkct any project which proposes to utilize Colorado River water in any of the Stntes of the Upper Colorado River Basin, except for relatively small projects within the basin, has any chance of authorization prior to the compact apportionment of water among the five Upper Colorado River Basin States. Substantial progress is being made by the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact Commission. hnother mecting of the Commission will take placo on July 7, 1948, at Vornal, Utah, when it is hcped that a compact may be tentativcly agreed upon by the compact commissioners for review by the various interosts in each Stato. Present programming of these cempact negotiations call fer a further meet- ing of tho Commission sometime in Octeber 1948. for the oonsideration of object- ions to the tentative draft of compact and recommendatiens for medification thereef which may result from such review. At this October meeting it is hoped