WSP06110

• File Number: 8021
• Description: Section D General Correspondence-Western States Water Council
• Date: 7/17/1966
• Title: Columbia Diversion Plea Highlights Water Meeting
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: News Article/Press Release

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S 'The SpoT(csr;-:'2.!1-~_c'/il2\"', Sunday. July 17. 1966.

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I)y CALLISON nlARKS
S!:'Cl~(~'mll~.Revl~w S~.:H Wrller

SEATTLE - The \Vcstern
States ",,'ater Council thi~ week-
end weathered minor storms
over the controversial. Colorado
Bnsin Project Bill in Congress
and the move now ll~der \';ay to
establish a Pacific- Northwest
River Basin Commission.
Members of the council. crea.
ted last year by the .;::overnors
of 11 Western states, decided to
go ahead with plans to set up
J;uide lines to protect slate and
local intcrc5t in cooj)erativc reo
gio~al development of water reo
sourCes.
Hi6"hlights of the ~roup's two-
day SCSSiO;1S included:

Rcsc::lrch Asked
1. A plea by Washi:1~ton's
Go\'. Dan EnDs that solutions
to Western-wide water disputes
be based on factual research
r.ather Ulan the u-se of emotion
and political muscle.
2. The re\'elation that the :;0.....
err-on of sevcn Colorado Basin
. states had written Pre~idcnt
JorJ1son ur.:;::in;::: stron;:: adminis.
trat:on support of the bill (HR.
iJ.G7I) to authorize the multimil.
lion dollar Colorado Basin Proj.
ect.
(Title II of the bill cillls for
the Interior Department studies
on ways to import wat~r into
the Color<1':lo Ri\'er s.-stem PH'-
s':lmably from the - Columbia
svstcm: .L\"orthwcst con:;:rCSSl11cn
h-a\"e attempted to re:no\-"e this
provision from tile bill which
is no\': in the Hous~ Interior
Coml~littce. )

Southwest Speaks

3. Requests by council memo
bers from Southwest states that
Northwest interests stop oppo-
sitions to Title II of the bill and
abandon efforts to create a rh'e-
stnte ri':er commission in the
Coh.:mbia region under the Wa-
ter Resources Plnnnin,:; Act of
19G5.

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4. Announcement by H. M.'
Ahlquist. Washington director of
conservation, that the commis.
sion applications of the five
Northwest governors had been
received by the National Water
Resources Council in Washing:-
ton, D.C.
5. An objection by William
E. W<l.rne, C<l.liIornia director of
water resources, over several
minor river basins along the
Califonia-Oregon border bein;:::
omitted from the territor~' of
th~ propo~ed Pacific Northwest
Rivcr Basin Commission.

Colo;ado View

6. A request by Felix Sparks,
director of the Colorado State
\Vatcr Conservation Board, that
U1C Western Stntcs Council be
convcrted into a Colorado.Paci.
fie Commission and that North..
wcst memb~rs .:;::et behind Colo-
T.<:do Projcet Bill.
7. A declaration by Sparks

that "we are hold.in~ this bill tie district Army engineer andl
tor;eth~r by bailin; wire. We Carter Harrison Jr. The coun-
hope we can get some help from cil is now operatin~ on a 5150.-
the Narth\'.'est." 000 annunl budget. ~hared
8. An assutance by William equally by the 11 "Vestern
S. Ho;den of Idaho that the states.
creation of a Northwest Bnsin At its closIng :sessions the
Commission is necessary for co- council heard report.'i from two
ordinntcd planning- of resource com mittees working on a draft
c1evcloi)ments ill this reg:~on and of proposed guidelines Or cri-
was r.ot aimed at hurtmg the teria for rc~ional water devel.
Colorado Basin interests. opmcnt.
The \\'yomin;::: deleg'<1te 'here W"shinglon members .are.
indicated thnt he favored a west. Robert O. Sylvester, water re-
wide commission. Their gov. sourccs and enginecring and
ernor p.ad signed letters for both Callison l\Iarks, water policy
the Colorndo Bill and the North. and legislatin;;.
wes~ Commission. All the 11 western states wcre
Ch:lil'man Re-Named represented here. .Montnna deie.
The Wc::;tern States Water gates included Chairman Wes-
Council re.('jccted Freeman Hol- ley A. D'Ev.:art; Alex i\lcDer-
:ner of Ore;;o:1 as chairman and moU, directo~ of the sUItes wa-
RaphJcl ),lo$cS of Colorado as ter conservatlon board: <lnd Dr.
vice cilairm an. Roy Huffman of .Montan<l State
HC;Jdqu:lflcrs of the council I Uni\"Crsity. . .
nre maintained at Portlnnd by The counCil has ~cheduled Its
Executive Director Wright Hy- ncxt ::;:cncral meetings for Oct.
3.tt. O~he:- ~taf( members arc 1.1, and 15 at Cheyenne :lnd Dec.
I\orman ~,Iattais. .onetime .SCflt- 9 and 10 at Los Angeles.