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<br />1972
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<br />CONGRESSIONAL I\.ECORD-ExleusioltS oj Remarks
<br />
<br />OC[OUC'I'
<br />
<br />'J.'rIE MExrClI.N ViATEH TI1.;~ATY AND
<br />ITS RELATIONSHIP TO COLORADO
<br />RIVER WATEr, SUPPLIES
<br />
<br />Valley, Mexico felt that they could obtaIn
<br />bettor terms on the Oolorado by conslciOl'ing
<br />tlw two rivers together in ono tren..ty. It was'
<br />also slgbl.ficRnt t.1w,t tho chaIl'mrm of t110
<br />Scntae Foroign Rolations Committeo in 1;ho
<br />10408 was Sonator Connally of Toxt\s, which.
<br />stato would benefit' greatly from. an flgl'ec"
<br />ment with Mexico on th.e Hio Grande.
<br />Negotiations between the United Stfl.tCiJ
<br />and Mexico concernIng the Colol.'ado RIver
<br />conuucnced originally in 1020, but wel'e bro..
<br />leon off, They wore reinstituted in tho lut.l)
<br />thirtIes, but It was not until 1941 thot tho
<br />negotiations were undertaken which finnlly
<br />led to the 1044 agreement,
<br />Th0 initial United Statcs- position In 1920
<br />was that Mexico 8ho111c1 receive "/50,000 aere-
<br />feet pel' year from tho Colorado River, whIch
<br />WftS then tho largest amount of wntcr thnt
<br />Mexico had used In nny 0110 year, Tho 1028
<br />Boulder Canyon Project Act hnd fillthori\!iccl
<br />construction of Hoover Dam wi,l,h ono of tho
<br />stated purposes beIng tho deliver~' of stored
<br />water for ", , ,beneficlnl uscs exclusively
<br />withln tho UnIted States, . ,.' Tho '/50,000
<br />nCl'e~fcct per year wn6 also considered by CllR
<br />gincers to be the largest practical Htlpply
<br /><that Mexico could \IS0 wIthout regulnltion by
<br />upstrea.m stonl,go reservoirs, l\IoxicQ COUll-
<br />tered wIth 0. demrl.l1d for 3,6 mlllioll ncrc~fcot
<br />pcr yonr, and negotiatIons wero abalHlouca.
<br />In 1011. tho Unltell Stn.tes oHel'od 0,0 mil-
<br />lion acre-feot per yoa.r {nmf/yr} of stored
<br />Colorado River water to bo releMed on de-
<br />mrmd to MexIcan users, Early in 1012, tho
<br />Unitecl States' oifel' was nmcnded to 1,16
<br />mat/yr, but with the dellvery to bo from,
<br />"nny source whntsoovcr," Moxico countered
<br />with 0. demnncl for 2 mo.f/yr.
<br />The Committeo of F'ourtccn eompose(l 'of
<br />two ropresentntlves from each of the 8Cven
<br />Ooloro.no River Bnsin sto.tes ho.d been formed
<br />1n 1038 to consIder bnsinwld(l pl'ohlen)."l: Afl
<br />negotiations between the UnIted SLf~tcs and
<br />Me:dco developed In tho early 10106, this
<br />Committee 1:l€CaiUO involved in ndvlsillg' tho
<br />State Dcprt.rt;ment on matters relxl;ing to tho
<br />proposed tt()nty, Defore signing the 'J'l'Of\.ty in
<br />FebJ.'uul'y 1014, wh1ch callt\d for d('IiV~wy of
<br />n. gU<l.l'antced allun.l qunntlty of 1.6 mo.(j
<br />yr, the Sta.te Depl\.l'tment :reported on tho
<br />treaty to tho Committee. The Depanmcnt
<br />,oxpln.ined thclr {\,greemcnt to deliver /;lueh
<br />a huge qun.nt1ty of wn.ter by pointing' out
<br />that morc than ono-hnlf of tho 1.5 Hwf/Yl'
<br />would be irl'ign.tion return 110W5 cntering 1',))0
<br />river below Imporlal Dam, wh1ch would Co
<br />to Mexico undol' nny eh'cums~n.nCC3, 'l'h1.t'l,
<br />tho St,ato Depfl..l'tment's pOliition wo:; t.hn,t
<br />tho United States' usors wonld be botter off
<br />Hr;teeing to doli vel' 0. largol' qUU,utlty 0,( wlli.-er
<br />to Mexico, which 1neluded retUl'll flows, than
<br />(l, Gll1fl..llel' quu.ntl.ty Wlllch did not iuclude
<br />return nows,
<br />Five of the states u,grecd wIth 1'he pl'oposed
<br />tl'caty, Howcver, CnJ1(ornfn vlgol'om;ly 6.J~-
<br />6Clli>ed, nnd Nevada. aJJstnlnod, 13ecrmc;o ot
<br />Cl\l1fornio.'s lJissent a.nd Nevlldo.'s noncon~
<br />,currenec, tho rCll}.o.inlng fivo sta.te!) joined
<br />with Toxas in July, 1041 to :Corm (l, new group
<br />el\-llecl. tho Six sta.to Comma.too, Whlcll. (W-
<br />
<br />~~10N. HAROl.D T. JOH~SON
<br />01" ChLn'O]~NI""
<br />IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
<br />T-uesdaVI October 3, 1972
<br />Mr, JOI-INSON of Cnlifornia, N~,
<br />Spealwl', dming the clos1ng months of
<br />lOn, thls Nation will be discussing: with
<br />our neig'hbol'S to the south tJ.le problem,
<br />of s<1.linity 01 the Colora.do nivel' water
<br />being delivered to ~Viexico pursuant to the
<br />:Mcxican Water Treaty,
<br />li'orlJ1Cr Attonioy Goneral Herbert
<br />}3rownell has been desigTlated as the
<br />Pl'csidcnt's s'pccial rc:presenu~tivc to seek
<br />[l. pcrm,a.nent solution to the problem.'
<br />Since an of us will be hearing mOTO
<br />[.bout this problcm I thought it appro-
<br />priate that I share with you some of tho
<br />bncl\:GTound as to how this situation de~
<br />ycloped and what cUl'nmtly is being done
<br />in this [l,rea,
<br />^ statement prepared by Mr, Myron B.
<br />Holburt, chief engineer, Colol'a.do H.ivcr
<br />Board of Oa.lifornia, sets fo:rt,h t.heso
<br />points in a vory prcc)se and clear man..
<br />nor, therefore, I would lilw to insert at
<br />-:-'hi[; point in the RIWORD these l'cmal'ks
<br />so tha.t my colleagues can share in this
<br />infonna.t,ion ft,nd have it for reference as
<br />the negotiations unfold:
<br />"l'HB MJ.;XIChN WNI''F.'iI. TREATY ANn I","s RELA"
<br />'l'T.ONsnn' 'TO COLORhDO En'lm WhTFm Sup-
<br />PLIES
<br />(BY Myron. n, Holburt)
<br />'rho meetings in. June. botween,Presidents,
<br />Nixon n.nu. Echeverria tll1'\1st the mn.tteI' of
<br />'",ho salinity of tho- Colorado River wfl,ter de..
<br />livo,'eel to Moxico pl.lrsl.ll\nt to the Mexican
<br />\Vl\tCl' 'l'l'Cnty on tho front pages of our Nn-
<br />'~ion's newsl)f\.pel's, W~lile the press iocused
<br />on Gltl1nIty problems of tho wat.~r delivered.
<br />to Moxico, thoso problems and potent1al
<br />mlutions 1\1'0 inthnntcly connected wit}) tho
<br />Wtl.t.Ol,' flHpply ,1.160(1 wIthin tllo UniLcct S(,r.t.l'n
<br />in. thl) sovon Gto.tOG of tho Colorll.do niver,
<br />Dn.<;in.
<br />In ordor to uuderst.and tho eUl'l'ent :;i\'ua..
<br />t~ou n.nd fu1;tu'O possibilities in counocl;ion
<br />wah tho Tl'cnty, it 13 nceessfl..l'Y to 1...vo som1)
<br />DltClcgl'ound i1~fol'lnatlon,
<br />1014. Mlo,Xl(MN WA'l'lm 'l'R)!:A'l:Y
<br />TIIt'l TJ"on1.y covoru tho wn\.ol'fj of the Colo,.
<br />roelo, 11,10 Gi'nlHle, o.lHl Tljuaua n,lVCl'I'L H
<br />WllH MexIco thnt lnsli'il.ccl on llnvlll!{ OIl{)
<br />Hgruement covering both the Colora(lo River
<br />('I1Hl tho Rio Grande, ro.thor than havinG
<br />(301)[\1'1\.1.0 trcaties, Since tho United Sl,n1;c!l lIJ
<br />tho bOHlo Ro\\rco of wntor delivered to 1\.1e:dco
<br />from tho Colorado River, wh110 Moxlco is tho
<br />SOUl'CO of (I, 1:.1,1'I;e part of tho waters lwed by
<br />tho UnIt.ed StMes 1n tho Lowor RIo Gl'l\lldo
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