WSP04390

• File Number: 8210.140.20
• Description: Colorado River Basin Organizations and Entities - Colorado River Basin States Forum California
• State: CA
• Basin: Western Slope
• Date: 1/1/1973
• Author: Myron B Holburt
• Title: Annual Report for the Calendar Year 1972
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Annual Report

RAYMOND R. RUMp,10NDS
CHAIRMA" A"O COLORAOQ
RIYER COMNllllll0,.El'I
COACHIlLLA VAI,.LI.., COUNTY
WATER DIIlTRICT

VIRGIL L. JONES

IGJ9

PAl...O "'..1\0r. tRRI<U.TIOM DISTRICT

ROBERT V. PHILLIPS
DE..ART"I[NT OF WATER AND
POWER, CITY OF LOll ANliIl.Ll[1l

RA.YMOND E. BADGER
SAN DII..O COU"'TT
WATER AUntORITY

CA.RL C. BEVINS

I....ERIAL IRRlc;ATION DJSTfllCT

JOSEPH JENSEN
THlE MlETl'IOPOI...1TA... WATlER DIIlTRICT
OF SoUnolEl'IN CAI...II'"ORNIA

MYRON B. 1I0LBURT

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

CHIEP E"'III"ElER

HAROLD F. PELLEGRIN
EXlECUTIVI. ."I;.I!,IlTAIt't

Colorado ~iver Board of California

302 CALIFORNIA STATE BUILDING
217 WE9T FIRST STREET
LOS ANGELES. CALIFORNIA 90012

August 28, 1973

Honorable Ronald Reagan
Governor of California
State Capitol
Sacramento, California

Dear Governor Reagan:

We are pleased to present to you and the legislature the
Colorado River Board's Annual Report for 1972. The report discusses
problems affecting California's rights and interests in the water
and power resources of the Colorado River and the Board's activities
relative to these problems. Some of those activities are summarized
as follows:

Several major actions were taken in 1972 with respect to solving
the long range Colorado River salinity problem. In February 1972,
the United States Bureau of Reclamation released its report entitled
"Colorado River Water Quality Improvement Program" which presents a
major program for salinity control on the river. In April 1972,
the "Federal-State Conference in the Matter of Pollution of the
Interstate Waters of the Colorado River" recommended endorsement
of the Bureau of Reclamation's program and acceleration of the
program so that three projects to remove 400,000 tons of salt each
year from the river would be in operation by 1977. The recommen-
dations were approved by the Administrator of the U. S. Environmental
Protection Agency in June 1972. Near the end of 1972 a Colorado
River salinity control bill was introduced in Congress which incor-
porated the Bureau of Reclamation's program, and the Environmental
Protection Agency's and basin states recommendation for acceleration
of that program. The bill was introduced by all 14 senators and
25 congressmen from the seven basin states.

In June, President Nixon met with President Echeverria of the
Republic of Mexico. Foremost among the matters discussed was the
salinity of the Colorado River waters received by Mexico. As a
result of the meeting, both Mexico and the United States took tem-
porary steps to improve the quality of water delivered to Mexicali
Valley. In August, President Nixon appointed former Attorney-General
Herbert Brownell as his special representative to make recommendations
for a permanent solution. Mr. Brownell formed a Federal Interagency
Task Force to assist him. He recognized that this was a vital matter
to the basin states, and worked very closely with the states through

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