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~... rv ~~ w ~~~;~:::.:~l ;.,:>:~, .0"....,.., J,< ;. and construction of these projECtS. Our two districts recognize the requirement to reduce the salinity of the Colorado River. We wish to emphasize that we support H. R. 12165 as drafted, largely because it provides for salinity control projects in the United States upstream from Imperial Dam providing some measure of assurance that the Upper Basin States of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming will be able to benefiCially use their compact-apportioned shares of the Colorado River Basin waters generated within their boundaries. Our two districts would nec- essarily express opposition to any Colorado River Basin salinity control bill, for example, that provides only for a desalting plant near the Mexican Border for .the sole benefit of Mexico. The salt problem is basin-wide and the legis- laUon to implement salt reduction must recognize that the control program must also be basin-wide if present sa Unities in the River are to be maintained while the Basin States develop their compact apportioned shares of Colorado River water. Our districts and the State of Colorado support the program to reduce the salinity of the River so long as it does not limit or imply a limitation on Colorado's right to use Colorado's share of the river. The Conference in the Matter of Pro- tection of the Interstate Waters of the Colorado River in makillg its Conclusions and Recommendations at Denver, Colorado, on April 27, 1972, recognized this right when in recommending the solution of the salinity problem said: . ..the salinity problem must be treated as a basin wide problem that needs to be solved to maintain Lower Basin water salinity at or below present levels while the Upper Busin continues to develop its compact-apportioned waters. (emphasis added) . -4-