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'h'" ./ " ,,;o.O,~5~~ 'r And what of California's position in the new Congress upcoming? That, said Congressman Hosmer, would "depend . considerably on Arizona's decision and what initiative she de- cides to take." "It is to be recalled, in assessing California's attitudes concerning the Colorado," he said, "that alone, or with some federal help, our state stitll has parochial alternatives of its own to examine in specific relation to satisfying Southern California's burgeoning water needs, These include: nuclear desalting, local weather modification, a giant underseas plastic conduit to divert southward the excess flows of Northern Cali- fornia coastal rivers, installation of extensive (albeit expensive) salt water flushing systems in coastal areas paralleling. fresh water supply and sewage systems, and some realignments be, . tween agricultural and municipal and industrial water use priorities." Newspapers Differ on Go-It-Alone Plan . The new Arizona strategy-first another old-school try at a federal project, then, if necessary, to go it alone-elicited different reactions from major Arizona newspapers. The Arizona Re}Jnol-i.c gave it guarded approvaL But the Arizona Daily Star of Tucson didn't like a state approach involving construction of only one dam-Marble. It might be technically feasible for generating electricity to do the pumping, said the, Star in an editorial, but it wasn't politically feasible. And the revenue from the sale of electricity would have to go for interest and sinking fund charges "to pay just the cost of the dam." "This poses the question: By whom and how is the cost of buildil1g the canal distribution system going to be paid?" asked the Star. "How is that money going to be raised? That cost alone is roughly estimated at $600,000,000. The total project cost, as a water delivery system, would total $1.2 billion. The interest cost on such an outlay would be a six per cent $72,000,000 a . year. Could the planned delivery of'l.2 million acre-feet raise that minimum annual charge? The bonds would be unsalable unless there were also charges for paying off the debt. One dam at Marble Canyon could - not pay them." For these reasons, said the Star, a dam at Bridge Canyon was also necessary. And "even with it, the federal government would have to contribute other funds for recreation, wildlife and flood control benefits." "It is obvious," continued the edi- . torial, "that Arizona cannot go it alone, and it is most doubtful politically-and financially-that two dams can get through Congress, while one dam at Marble Canyon would not make the project feasible. Who would finance the building of the canal distribution system?" Summing up, the StOI' said the main objective, of CAP was to bring water into the state, and "whatever it takes to do that job should be done. If two dams are necessary to make it self- liquidating, they should be built. If Congress refuses, alternative plans should be proposed that would ca1l upon Congress for -33-