WSP06497

• File Number: 8270.100
• Description: Colorado River Basin Water Quality/Salinity -- Misc Water Quality
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/1974
• Author: USDOI
• Title: Colorado River Water Quality Improvement Program - Status Report
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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"The COnferees unaminously iigreed, and' Concur,
thaI th!' basin,wlde salinity COnlrol program described
by the Department of the 'nterio, in ,rs rePOr!,
'COlorado River Qualjty fmp'Qvt'menr Program
Februarl' 1972.. <lppears to olfer the best prospect for
arresting 0. reducmg the salinity Increases in the rlller.
This Agency endo.St's YOur nrog.arn tor achieving
reSOlutiOn of th,s liI/in'ly prOblem in furtherance of
Our mutual goal 01 w..!e. qualIty ImprOvement. We are
prepilred to ass,~ to the eXtent of our available
reSOurces.

no Ieller thim Jury T. 1974, the approximately
1.360,000 i.:Cre.feet (J .677.545,000 cUbic
meters) delivered 10 Mexico UPSlream of More/os
Dam. have an dnnual average Sd/lnn\, of no more
than 115 Pprn plus Or mInus 30 ppm United
States COunt (121 ppm plus or minus 30 Ppm
MexlCdll OOUTlt/ Over the dnnual average salinity
at COlorado River Waters which arrive at Imperial
Dam, with the understandmg that any Wdters
thaI may be delivered 10 Mexico under the
Treaty of 1944 by means of the All AmeriCiln
Canal shall be COnSidered as haVing been
tlellvNed UPstream of Morelos Ddm for the
Purpose of comrUll"lg this sillmity,

D. The United Slates wI/I COIHI/1Ue 10 delNer to
MeXICO on rhe land boundary al San Luis and m
the limifrOPhe r.eCllon of the COlorado Rlwr
downr.tream tram MOlelor. Dam approxImately
140,000 acre-feel !! 72,689,000 cubiC m!;'ters)
annually With a S<llmity r.ubstanllally the same as
that of the I'Iidlerr. wStOmarily (je!ivt'red th!;'re.

c, A,lY decrease in deliveries under POint lib)
Will be mild", up by an equal increase in deliveries
under pOlnl l(d)

d Any orher sUbstanlial chan~s m lhe
aforementioned volumer. of W<ltl'r al lhe Slated
lOCations muS( be <Kjreed to by the Commission.

e Implementdtlon of lhe meaSures referred 10 in
POInt Ha) above IS subject ro the requllemf'nl in
POint 10 of the aUlhorizatlon at Ihe neCeSSdry
IVOrks.

"2, The life of MinUle 24 I shall be terminated
uPOn <lPPloval of the presenl Mmule From
SePtem/.)l;'r 1. 1973. urad lhe prOVISIOns of POmt
lid) become ,:<Ileetlve, the Uniled Sldtes shaH
diScharge 10 the COlorado A,ver downstream from
Morelos Dilm volumes at dram<lge waters flam the
WeJlton.Mohawk DiStflCt <It the dnnual rate of
118,000 acre. feet (I45.551 .000 WOIC melers) and
substitute Iheretor <In equal volume of Orher waters
to be drSCharged 10 tht:' Colorado Alv"'r abOve
Morelos Dam. and. Pursuant to the deCisiOn of
Presldenl Echeverria eXpressed in the Joinl
COmmulllque of June 17, 1972, Ihe United Stales
shall diSCharge to the CO/orddo River downstream
trOm Morelos Ddm Ihe drainage Walers at Ihe
Welllon.MohdWk DlstncI that do nOt form d Pdrt of
the volumes of dramage Waters referred to dbove,
\'(llh the und"'rsrandmg Ihdt lhis remaining VOlume
Will not be replaced b!f substltUlion Waters. The
CommiSSion shall COntinue !o aCCOUnt for the

Sincerely YOurs.

SW:Robert Fr,

for William D. RUCkelshaus
Administrator"

FolIOwmg lhe confert:'nce Jnd m aCCOrd With the
recommenU<tllons, lhe Bureau 01 Recldmdtlon began
lhe InveS!IQJtlons relalmg 10 sdlmit!f COntlol.

IU.L\T1..IJ \1 \ "/'""":H...:

The enaclment of tilt' Federal Willer POllution COrttrOI
Act Amendments of 1972 (PubliC Ldw 92.500) and Ihe
COnclUSIOn at l1egOllill;ons Wllh MeXICO regardmg the
COntrol 01 salinilv m walers delivered 10 Mexico
highlight lhe salinity prOblems on the tlVer.

AGREEMENT WITH MEXICO

In keeping wqh Prer.I(j"'1l1 N'xon's ObJecllve to fmd a
nermant'nl. detmillVt:', dnd just SOIUllon 10 the Salinl!y
prOblem With Me~ico, dCCord l'Iias reached on AuguSl
30. 1973, Wllh Ihe eXecution at Mmute 242 of lhe
Intern<ltlondl BOUndary and Wall'r Commission. The
Minute WdS developed fOllOwmg an mlensive Study of
Ihe prOblem by former Attorney Generdl Ht'roerr
Brownell and <I Feder<ll Task Force appointed to asslS!
him. ParrlciPatlon ot the Basltl Stales was SOught by
'\-11. Brownell ilnd representallVes 01 the Governors
C,dentlf,t'(l <IS Ihe Committee 01 FoUrreen). aSSisted m
definlllg the solUllon. The key elements at the
agfl'ementwere:

"1 Aeterrmg to the <lnnual volUme at thl;' COlorado
It'ver Waters guaranteed to MeXICO under the Tredt"
of 1944. at 1,500.000 dcre-feet (J ,850,234.000
CubiC meters)

a The United States shall ddoPl measures to
assure thaI nOI earlier than January I, 1974, ..nd

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