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<br />The Amount of Water Which the Proposed Treaty Allocates To Mexico <br /> <br />Is Fair and Equitable <br /> <br />It goes without saying that the most import.ant provisions of the treaty. so far as the Colorado <br />River is concerned. are those which relate to the amount of water to be delivered to Mexico. By <br />Arricl. 10 rh.r. is allott.d to M.xico a guarante.d annual quantity of 1.500,000 acr.-feet of wat.r <br />with the furth.r und.rstanding that in any year when. as det.rmin.d by the Unit.d States S.ction <br />of the International Boundary Commission, there exists J surplus of warn in the river. the United <br />Stat.s will und.rtak. to d.livet a total quantity of 1.700.000 acr.,f..t with the proviso that M.xico <br />shall acquir. no right to any water whatso.v.r in .xcess of 1.500,000 acte-feet annually, Articl. 10 <br />contains the following provision: <br /> <br />HIn the event of extraordinary drought or serious accident to the irrigation system in the <br />Unit.d States. th.r.by making it difficult for the Unit.d States to deliv.r the guaranteed <br />quantity of 1,500,000 acr.-feet (1,850.234,000 cubic m.ters) a y.ar. the water allott.d <br />to M.xico und.r subparagraph (a) of this Articl. will b. r.duced in the sam. proportion as <br />consumptive uses in the United States are reduced." <br /> <br />This water may come "from any and all sources" and. with the excrptions hereinafter noted. <br />may be delivered wherever the water may arrive in the bed of the limitropbe section of the river. By <br />Articl. 11 (b) it is stat.d that the United States will deliv.r to M.xico. wh.r.v.r such wat.r may <br />arrive in the limitroph. section, 1.000,000 acr.-feet annually from the time the Davis Dam is put <br />in op.ration until 1980. and thereafter. 1.125,000 acr.-feet annually, .xcept that M.xico may r.quest <br />the deliv.ry of 25.000 acr.,feet, or mar. if it is mutually agreed upon, at a point on the int.rnational <br />land boundary near San Luis, Sonora, in which event quantities deliverable in the limitrophe section <br />shall b. r.duced by the amount of the d.liv.ries n.ar San Luis, <br /> <br />Articl. II (c) provides that aft.r Davis Dam is put into op.ration and until 1980. Unit.d <br />States shall d.liv.r to M.xico annually 500,000 acre-feet and aft.r January 1. 1980, 375,000 acr.- <br />fcct annually at thl:' international boundary line by means of the All-American Canal and a canal <br />connecting the lower .nd of the Pilot Knob Wast.way with the Alamo Canal. Articl. 15 p.rmits <br />Mexico to schedule deliveries within certain limitations. <br /> <br />Particular attention hdS been directed to the fact that the allotment to Mexico of the waters of <br />the Colorado River is "from any and all sources;" and rhe statement has been made that this language <br />will permit the regulation of tributaries within the interior of the United Srates. Such assertion <br />serves only ro divert attl?'ntion from the true meaning of this provision. It seems obvious that this <br />language is .mploy.d in order that th.r. may b. no doubt as to the right of the Unit.d States to <br />secure credit for rcturn and seepage water appearing in the river. It is to the great advantage of the <br />United States to receive credit for all return flow and seepage water which gets into the stream. Indeed, <br />it may h. observ.d that the r.pres.ntatives of the Unit.d States should b. comm.nd.d highly for <br />securing such a desirable provision in the treaty. <br /> <br />Since the United States is entitled to credit for return flows, an important question is the extl?'nt <br />to which the deliv.ries in the limitroph. section may b. satisfi.d by r.turn flows, As may b. .xpect.d, <br />engineering esrimates vary as to this amount. Thl?' extent of the rl?'turn flows will be determined in <br />large measure by future irrigation developments, particularly in the State of Arizona. In addition to <br />the r.turn flow. th.r. will b. availabl. for delivery to M.xico the water used for desilting purposes. <br />Here, again, estimates of the available amount vary. A competent irrigation engineer, Mr. Royce J. <br />Tipton. who has d.vot.d much time to the study of the Colorado River probl.m, estimates that <br />under conditions of ultimate development the return flows and desiJting water will be in such amounts <br />that 600.000 acr..feet r.pres.nt the maximum burd.n that will b. placed annually on the riv.r above <br />Imp.rial Dam to satisfy the obligations of the Unit.d States to M.xico und.r the t.rms of the pro- <br />posed treaty. What chis means is that under such ulcimate conditions. che entire obligation. imposed <br />upon the Unit.d States by the tr.aty, will b. satisfi.d by r.turn flow and desilting wat.r .xcept an <br />average annual amount of 600,000 acr.,feet. This is possible because the tr.aty allots to M.xico wat.r <br />"from any and all sources." <br /> <br />8 <br />