<br />2~SJ
<br />
<br />importing watcr from the Columbia River Basin
<br />to the Colorado Rinr Basin. On August I. 1968.
<br />the Senate and I-louse conferees agreed to report
<br />out S. 1004, the Colorado Ri,'cr Basin Project
<br />bill, a, amended by H.R. 3300.
<br />On August 7. 1968, the Board unanimously
<br />appro,'ed the following resolution:
<br />
<br />On August l. 1968, toe Senate-House conferees
<br />agreed on final bnguage of the Colorado Ri"er
<br />Basin Project hill, S. 10000, and ordered it re-
<br />poned. This is the culmination of a long chapter
<br />in the historv of Colorado River water resources
<br />de,'c!opmem', and is the result of long debate and
<br />compromise of many issues among the stares of
<br />the Colorado River Basin.
<br />This legislation contains those clements which
<br />are deemed essential to the interests and protection
<br />of the Stare of California and its Colorado Ri,.er
<br />water and power users.
<br />Br this resolution, the Colorado River Board
<br />of California expresses its sincere and deep ap-
<br />preciation and commendation to eaco member of
<br />toe California congressional delegation for his role
<br />in wlidifying and ad,'ancing toe State's unified
<br />position in support of S. 1004. as finally recom-
<br />mended hy the Sel13te.Housc conferees.
<br />
<br />Following adoption of the confercncc report
<br />(H. Report ).;0. 1861) on thc Colontdo River
<br />Basin Project hill (S. 10M) by the I-Iousc of
<br />Represenratins hy ,'oice ,'ote on Septcmber 5,
<br />1968, and by the Senate on September 12,1968,
<br />Prcsident Johnson signed the legislation into law
<br />on Septemher 30, 1968, ;lS Public Law 90-;37.
<br />Joseph Jensen, member of the Colorado Ri,'er
<br />Board, .\I\Ton Holbun 3nd ;\'onhcurr Eh-, at-
<br />tended th~ signing ("eremom' on bcl13lf (~f the
<br />Board. ~ ~ .
<br />This complex bill includes the following key
<br />items: (a) authorization of the C...cntral Arizon3
<br />Project 3t an estimated cost of $932.000.000,
<br />(b) authori;{A"1tion of fin Upper Colorado River
<br />Basin projects at an estimated cost of 5392,000.-
<br />000, (c) existing California, .-\rizona, and ~e-
<br />vada Colorado Rinf water contractors receive
<br />a priority onr the Central Arizona Project
<br />whencver the annual usable supply is less than
<br />7.5 million acre-fect. with Glifornia's priority
<br />limited to -J..-J. million acre-feet per year. (d)
<br />assumption of rhe ,\1cxican Treaty burden by
<br />the United States when the ri,-er is augmented,
<br />(e) the Secretary of the Interior is to detenlline
<br />water supplies and re(luiremems and den lop a
<br />plan to meet the w3ter needs of the \\'est bur
<br />
<br />is prohibitcd from undertaking reconnaissance
<br />studies of any plan for importation of water
<br />from any other natural rinr drainage basin
<br />lying outside the States of Arizona, Califomia,
<br />Colorado, ~ew ,\lexico, and outside of those
<br />portions of ).;enda. L~tah and \\'rOlning which
<br />arc in the natural drainage basin of the Colorado
<br />Rinr fOf 10 ~'ears, (f) :1 development fund is
<br />established to help Tepav future costs, (g) estab-
<br />lishment of priorities (or the operation of the
<br />major Colorado Rinr reservoirs, (h) provision
<br />for purchase of Cdpacity in a non-federal ther-
<br />mal power plant by the federal government in
<br />lieu of construction of new dams on the Colo-
<br />rado Rinr, (i) reauthorization of the Dixie
<br />Project in Ctah, (j) conditional amhorization
<br />of the Uimah Unit of the Central Utah Project,
<br />and (k) thc right of the states to sue the United
<br />States if the federal govcmmem fails to comply
<br />wirh the "Law of the River".
<br />
<br />Federal-State Water Rights
<br />
<br />On Febman' 5, 1968, Senawr Kuchel and
<br />eight other se,lawrs from dle western states in-
<br />troJuced S. 2919. proposed legislation to clarify
<br />the relationship of interests of the United States
<br />and of the Statcs in the use of waters of certain
<br />streams. The hill known as dle "'ater Ri~hts
<br />Act of 1968 was :1 revision of e:1r1ier bills pro-
<br />posed b~' Senator l-\.uchcl: S. Ins in the 88th
<br />Congress, S. 1636 in the 89th Congress and S.
<br />25 30 in the first session of [he 90dl Congress.
<br />The bill, dr;lfted in collaboration with the
<br />Americ:1n Bar Asso("iatioll. attempts to: (I) re-
<br />quire the United States to (lUantif~' with its pri-
<br />ority datc any federal claim to water based upon
<br />a federal rescn'ation or withdrawal of land from
<br />the public domain. (2) require the United States
<br />to respect the integrity of state water laws, and
<br />(3) eliminate the defense of the statutc of limi-
<br />t:ainns where J water right holder is compelled
<br />to bring suit in reverse cnndemn:1tinn.
<br />
<br />By resolution uI131limollsl~- adopted on .\1an.:h
<br />6. 1968, the ColoraJo River Board endorsed thc
<br />prm-isions of S. 2919. The Senate Interior Sub-
<br />committee on \\'ater and Power Resources held
<br />a serics of hearings in nrious sections of the
<br />countr\". On .\la\" ~2. 1968. the Cl1ifornia Attor-
<br />ne,' G'eneral testified hefore the Subcommittee
<br />in' support of dle proposed legislation. ;\Ir.
<br />Lynch appeared on his own behalf as well as
<br />that of the Colorado Rinr llo:ud of Californi:1.
<br />
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