WSP04876

• File Number: 8270.100
• Description: Colorado River Basin Water Quality/Salinity -- Misc Water Quality
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/1983
• Author: USDOI
• Title: Quality of Water - Colorado River Basin - Progress Report No. 11 - January 1983
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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PART 1

INTRODUCTION

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076 u.S. 340). the Boulder Canyon Project Act (45 Stat. 1057),
Boulder Canyon Project Adjustment Act (54 Stat. 774; 43 V.S.C. b18a).
Colorado River Stora~e Project Act (70 Stat. 105; 43 V.S.C. 620), or
Colorado River Basin Project Act (82 Stat. 885; [,,) V.S.C. 1501),

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B. Previous Reports and Cooperating Agencies

A series of 10 reports Beaning with the leUj) edition have been
prepared prior to this report. Each suc:ceedin~ report updated the
previous report.

Th is report was prepareJ by the BUrt"au of Rec lamat ion and ut it lzes
basic data provided primarily by the Geological Survt'y. A continuing
cooperation program bet~en Reclamation (Bureau of Reclamation) and USGS
(Geological Survey), in effect for a number of years, provides for the
collection of 5tr~amflow data at stations other than basic data stations
maintained by USGS tn order to obtain additional infonnation at key
points in the basin.

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In the Upper Basin, data are obtained at varIOUS points along the
river and in drains cooperatively with the USGS and other a~encies.
Along the mainstem below Lees rerry, data are obtained on a regular basis
at stations that include essentially all significant divf'rsions, surface
return flows, and major river points. Reclamat ion is the lead agency of
an on~oing task force for coordinat ing the collect ion of other qual ity
data in the Lower Basin. Other members of the task force include
representatives from the USGS, International Boundary and !,.;'ater Commis-
sion, and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).

since this is a progress report with a due date fixed by law, a
number of the projects are ongoing. In fact, mor~ sal inity studies are
now in progress than at any prt"vious time. In this regard this report is
not very timely since final plan formulation is in the final stages on
several projects. The water and salt budgets for salinity projects pre-
sented in this report are, thert>fore, subjecL to change as the plan
formulation doc'.1lIIents are finalized.

C. Legal Aspects

1. \o;ater Quant ity

Apport ionment of Colorado River ....ater has been accompl ished by
(I) the Colorado River Compact of }l~22, (2) the ~exican Treaty of 1944,
(3) the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact of 1948, and (4) the U.S.
Supreme Court (State of Arizona vs. Callfornia et al., 1964).

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The first of these, the Colorado River Cornp:tct, divided the
Colorado River between the Upper and Lower Basins at Lee Ferry (just
belo... the confluence ot the paria River), and apportioned to each basin
7.5 :1AF (million acre-feet) .1nnua1ly, and contains provisions governing

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