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<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 /> <br />15 <br />