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e WATER COMPACT AND TREATY OBLIGATIONS Division of Water e Water of the Colorado River was divided between the Upper and Lower Colorado River Basins by the Colorado River Compact, which was signed in 1922 by a Commissioner of each of the seven states of the river basin and by a representative of the United states and which was sUbsequently approved by the Congress and the President of the United States. The di vi ding point on the river between the upper and lower basins is at lee Ferry near the northern border of Arizona below the mouth of the Paria. Ri ver. Among other things, the compact apportions to the upper basin the beneficial consumptive use of 7,500,000 acre-feet of 'Water per annum. The compact provides also that liThe states of the upper division will not cause the now of the river at lee Ferry to be depleted below an aggregate of 75,000,000 acre-feet for any period of 10 consecutive years. . ." The compact prescribes the manner in which waters of the Colorado River system may be made available to Mexico under any 'Water rights recognized by the United States. The Mexican Treaty of 1945 provides basically for an annual delivery by the United States to Mexico of 1,500,000 acre-feet of Colorado River 'Water. Of the many provisions in the Colorado River Com- pact and the Mexican Treaty concerning the use of the waters of the Colo- ra.do River system, those briefed above are of particular importance to the program now being initiated in the upper basin. Water allocated to the upper basin by the Colorado River Compact was further apportioned to the individual Sta.tes of the upper basin by the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact which 'WaS signed in 1948. Under the terms of this compact Arizona is pennitted to consume 50,000 acre-feet of water annuaJ.J.y from the Upper Colorado River system and the remaining later allocated to the upper basin is apportioned to other States in the following percentages. Colorado New Mexico utah Wyoming 51.75 percent 1l.25 percent 23.00 percent 14.00 percent The upper basin compact created the Upper Colorado River Commission, an interstate administrative agency. The Commission consists of a repre- sentative of each of the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, and the Federal Government. e Storage Requirement The flow of the Colorado River is extremely erratic, historical flow varying fro1n 4,400,000 to 22,000,000 acre-feet annue.lly at Lee Ferry. 2