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<br />CALIFORNIA'S STAKE IN THE COLORADO RIVER
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<br />authorize the construction of the All.American Canal, but were the
<br />forerunner of thE' larger Boulder CallJ'on Project.
<br />The fi rst bill providing for the authorization of the Boulder Canyon
<br />Project was introduced in April, 1!l22, by Congressman Phil D. Swing
<br />and Senator Hiram \V, Johnson, alld became known as the first Swing-
<br />Johnson Dill. The bill was amt'nded and reintroduced in subsequent
<br />years during its cOllsideration by Congress.
<br />The rOUI"~h and final bin W85 iutroduced Oll December 5,1927. Before
<br />it wa<; finally passed by Congr(>s<; and approved on December 21, 1928,
<br />it was substantiallv amf'uded. It is of particular importance to Dote that
<br />in ordrr to secure' its passage it was necessarr fOr our representatives
<br />to agree t(l a proviso in the bitl limiting California'8 use of water from
<br />the Colorado River which the State would ba\"e to adopt in order to
<br />put the Project Ac~ into effect unless as an alternative all se\,p.n states
<br />ratified the Compact.
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<br />Boulder CAnyon Project Act
<br />The Boulder Canyon Project Act provided for the construction of a
<br />storage dam and power plant at Blark Canyon or Boulder Canyon of
<br />not less thRn 20.000,000 lI.cre-feet capacity, and the All-American Canal,
<br />to Imperial and CoachelJa Valleys, It authorized construction of the
<br />dam to be started when the Secretary of the Interior had execnted
<br />contracts for sale of water and power, which would a.'lsure repaying the
<br />entire co:st of the dam and power phmt with 4 percent interest together
<br />with operation and maintenance expenses, etc, It also authorized con.
<br />s\ructioll or the. An-American Calla\ to be slarted wben tbe Secretary
<br />had eJ:ecutt'd a contract for repa;),"tent without interest of its cost under
<br />the pro\'ision'l of the ReclamRtion Law. It provided thtlt there should be
<br />no charge for water or for the lIse, ~tora~l', or delivery of water for
<br />irrigation and domestic use in the Imperiallllld Coachrlla. Vallers,
<br />One of the most important provisions of the act is Section 4(a)
<br />which is the subject of much discllssion, It relates to the California
<br />limitatioll previously referred to. Because of its importance and the
<br />frequp.llt rp.ferencp.s thereto, the pp.rtinp.ut portion of it is quoted in full
<br />as follows:
<br />~I1C, 4. (n) This oet Aholi Dot toke I'!fe~t IIntl liD lInth(lrif,. ahnll he l'U'r<:ilio!'d
<br />hprPllllller onllllo .....ork sholl hI' lwgun IIntl no) mont'l" eXf)<'lIurll 011 or in t'lJDDtcfion
<br />with the ,,'orka or Sfrllcturt'1I provided (or in thi!lll('t, and no ,,"oter rights shll.lI be
<br />clniml'u or initiote.(J hereunder. flntl no steps "holl be tlll;en by the United Stntell Or bJ'
<br />other!:! to illitillft or perreet IlOr ('1aims to tht us~ of wPter lM'rtinent to) sUl'h work.
<br />or IItrllC[llres u"le~" Dud until (I) tbe !'>Inted (If Ari&QIID. CnliforniD. Colorndo. Xe-
<br />I'ndn, :-;e'" i'Il('.~ic'l, lJtllh. and \\....omioll" wnll hale ratifil'tl the CO]OrlH'O Rin'r Com.
<br />pDC'l, m('lltiont'(l ll\ Seetioo 13 hereof. onu tbe PreBitll'llt bJ IHlbli(' llro('llImat;nn ah_U
<br />hnl'e .~u lleclurt'tI, Or 12) if anid slnteH foil to ratif.\" the Mid compoct 'Witbin six
<br />month" from thl'.lrtteuf thi! plIBl<I1!l"eof fhis flet thl''', Illltil.!lix oeMid "tlltl'll. io('lud.
<br />ill!:' the ~tute of Coliforoio. sbull rntify anid ('ompul't IIntlsball COllh('lIt to wlIi,'e Ib~
<br />l,rQ,'j.BioIl9 of tbt lint paragraph of .\rtiele Xl of Hllill ("omlmet. wbieb nlllke... the
<br />~nm.. hindillJ:" Itod obliJ:"uo17 0,,11' wbeo Ill.prov...d br efl('b uf tbt ..en'u b1lltes Iligoa-
<br />tor}' therl'tl). IInCl .sholl ho.... opprovellllllld compact without ronditlons, sa'.... that o(
<br />!Iuch lliX'Htote 1lI'Pro\'tll. and tbe President b, pul.olic pmclomotiun "hall ba...... 1M)
<br />tl~lnrt'd, 011l1. fllrtber, until tbe Mtote of Ca]i(oroia, II, ON of ita J.eJ:"ia]oture. Ihall
<br />u,;-ree irre"o<.:olil}' Dod llIJCOnditionall)' witb the United StOlt's nntl for the benelit of
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<br />CALIFORNIA.'S STA.KE IN THE COLORADO RIVEB
<br />
<br />19
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<br />tht Btates of Ari:!:olla, Colorarto, NevadA. New J\Je.xil'll. Ulnh, IInd \\'rominlt, filii on
<br />uprI'IISl'lu'punnlllotl in cooaiderorion of the III'.IInge uf thilll('t, thot the nggregllte
<br />nnonul coilAumpthe use (diverlliou. lelll relurllH to tht ril'erl ot wlIter of nnrt from
<br />tbe Co!ora(\o Rh'l'r for \Ill' in the Stnte of Clllifomin. inl'llllliOI:" 01\ UBel ullller con-
<br />tra('LB mode IIml..r the ,.rol"iliool of thill n('t ttlJd 011 ....Ilter necesllllry fur the IlUllpl,
<br />of nn)" ri,li\"htll which mll)' 1I0W nillt, Ilhnll uot U('l'ert 4.400,000 lI('re-f~[ of the .-nterll
<br />apporliulled to the lower bo"in atlllelJ br pnrogrnllh (nJ of Article 111 ot the Cl]o/'1lrlo
<br />Ri..er COIllI'Il('t, 1']11. lIot Inor" thon one.hnll uf nJl~' n('t!l!l or IlUrplllll woters UDnppor-
<br />tion...d b'llllid ('oml'"ct. sllch u~eB OIWH,"1I fO lo<' IInhjl'('t tn Ib... terms III lillld comll_ct.
<br />
<br />III view of Arizona's rt"fusal to ratify thl' compact, the California
<br />Ll'gislature wbil'h cOllvl'ned in 1929 promptly gave consideration to the
<br />matll'r of limitation and 011 March 4, Hl29, ratified the six-:itate compact
<br />and accepted the Jimitatioll ill substa.ntially idelltical words of tbe Proj-
<br />ect Act,
<br />On June 25, 1929. six states includiug California hin'iug ratified the
<br />compact, President Hoo\'er dl"dflred tile Boulder Callyoll Projl'ct Act
<br />in full effect.. Und('r the pro\"isiotJs of the Project Act, the Colorado
<br />Ri\'er Compact also became fnll,r etfel'ti\'e,
<br />
<br />Power Contractl
<br />In 1930 power cOlltr8cts Wf>re executed by the Secretary of the Inte-
<br />rior with the Metropolitan WHtl'r District of Southeni California, the
<br />City of Los Angc\e;; Departmclll of \Vater and Power and the Southern
<br />California Edison Compauy, Inc., and others. Under these contracts,
<br />all of the firm power output of the Hoover Dam power plaut was dis-
<br />posed of aud commitments Illtlde to purchase all of the pOWl'r, at a price
<br />whit'b was fixed largely OJl the basis of corupetith'e cost of stellrn gener-
<br />atf'd power and which would ~..il'ld a revenne calculated to be sufficient
<br />to Illf'et thf' l'apil1d and allllual t'osts of the dalll and power plallt, illclud-
<br />ing'illterest.
<br />Thl'se l'outrllcls were later modified under the pro\'isions of thl'
<br />BOl1ldf>r Callyon Project Adjustment Al't approved in 1~l4.0, unuer
<br />which the interest rate on the unpaid power investmeut WlL<; reducE'd
<br />from -J, perct'lIt to 3 percent per anllum. The Act further prOVided for
<br />paVl1lf'llts frolll power revenues of $300,000 a year ill lien of taxes to
<br />l'a~h of the Stales of Arizona and Nevada and for p"yment of $500,000
<br />a Yl'8r into a Colorado Rh'er De\'elopmt'ot Fund to be used for further
<br />iDYl'stigatiolls allll devf'lopment of prt:'jects in th~ Colorado River Basill.
<br />
<br />'Water Contracts
<br />During th~ p"riod from 19.30 to In:l4, contrll.cts .....l;'re ex{'cuted under
<br />the terms of the Project Act by the Seeretar.y of the Interior with the
<br />se\'f>ral Southern California agencies concerned, for storag-e and deli\'-
<br />l'rv of .....ater from Hoo\'er Dam R{'S{'n'<lir (Lake Mt'ad). lt wal:l neel'S-
<br />sa"ry prior 10 their execution for these California tlgencies to agrf'~
<br />among tbemseh'es a~ to the division or alloeatioll of Colorado River
<br />water to which California would be entitled unda the limitation placed
<br />upon the State by the Project Act and accepted by a.ct of the State Leg-
<br />i!'ilature. On November 5, 1930, Secretarj' of lllterior '''ilbur requl'stf'd
<br />that this be accomplished with the assistallce and approvaL of th~ Rtate
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