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N C.',) en ~ . . In mid-November 1961, the United states Section of Interna- tional Boundary and Water Commission was notified that because of the continued drouth in the Colorado River Basin, which has caused the Lake Mead level to remain below average far this period, together with the uncertainties relating to the immi- nent requirement for filling upstream reservoirs it was impera- tive th~t the conservation measures followed in the past year be extended to include the coming year; and, as a consequence, there would be Colorado River water in sufficient quantity to supply only minimum requirements in the united States and the guaranteed quantity of 1.5 million acre-feet to Mexico during 1962. At that same time, we requested a schedule from Mexico showing her desired monthly deliveries of Colorado River water during 1962. That schedule was transmitted to us by the United states Section of the IBWC during the last week of December. In this schedule Mexico requested delivery of llO,256 acre- feet of water during January and a total for the year of l,500,000 acre-feet. This is about double the magnitude of their usual January schedule for past years when they have scheduled at minimum rates of delivery. It is our understand- ing that Mexico scheduled the additional quantities to dilute the river flows to the extent it considers necessary to make the water suitable to irrigate the winter wheat crop. Re- leases of stored water were scheduled to arrive in Mexico on January 1 and have continued since that date. Mexico opened the diversion gates at Morelos Dam at 8 a. m., January 1, and has continued diverting to Alamo Canal since that time. The increased scheduled delivery to Mexico in January was developed as a result of negotiations between the State De- partment and the Department of the Interior in consideration of a request by Mexico for delivery of additional quantities of water outside the Treaty to improve the quality of water arriving at their diversion points. These negotiations led to an agreement by Mexico to order the additional water needed to improve the quality under the 1962 delivery schedule. The State Department and the Department of the Interior agreed to permit Mexico to modify the monthly scheduled amount for Jan- uary and February by more than 20 percent and without 30 days' notice if found necessary with a proviso that no precedent would be established and that such modifications would be within the l.5 maf annual schedule. The Treaty requires that Mexico shall have the right, upon 30 days' notice in advance to the United States section, to increase any monthly quantity pre- scribed by the schedules by not more than 20 percent of the monthly quantity. These two requirements of the Treaty were waived by agreement between the two Departments in order to Information Bulletin #l8 -4- January 12, 1962 , ,j " >1 ,,~ ,IU~m