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0'17~ Congress To Let lJust Settle In By HARRISON HUMPHREYS ....."'~I"'~d ...... 1l....IDI'lII s.or~k. / . WASHlNGTON (AP) - The House Interior Commit- tee is allowing time for the dust to settle on fl. W!l.tcr ('onlro~'ersy affecting at least 10 Western stales. In the words of Chairman Wayne N. Aspinall, O-Colo.. "too many jmponderable~" remained at the clo:se of an e i R h t.d a y hearinR laSt Wednesday for the commIt- tee to undertake a decision thIS year on the proposed $1.J billion Lower Colorado BaSin water and power project. The implication w.. clear thl\t 81'proval of the project next year would. depend upon a better understanding between the three states of lhe Pacifi'C Northwest and the seven states of the Colo- rado River Basin as to the source, amount and condi- tion 01 a sizable additiun to the water supply of the "bankrupt" Colorado RIver. The project proposed in 31 identical bills would consist of two major hydroelectric power dam! on the ColoTllda River at Bridge and Marble Canyons in ArizoM. and pu m ping and divenian works to tranSJOrt 1.2 mil- lion acre feet of water a r,:ar into the Salt River Val- ey aroWKl Phoenix and thence to Tucson for irriga- lion, municipal and industri- al use in Ariwna. Basin Thirsty The hearinR found all the states of the Colorad:> Basin looking thirstily at the 160 million ac~ feet of water ruMing out of the mouth of the Columbia River each year and wasting into the .... If they could get some of that water-a minimum of 1.5 million Bcre feet and a maximum of about 1;) mil- lion acre feel-dumped into the Colon.do River, which hu about 15 million acre feet of its own~ there would be enough to satisfy about everyone. But the Northwest states were IIOt ready to say wbl!ther they COtI~d spare any water. or whether they WCIlIld aRree to its diversion 11-.... could. And couervation organi- zationa--natiooal and re- 2ional-and iDdivldueI out. iloomnen and nature loven loosed aD all-out attack upon Bridge and Marble Canyon Dams-the cBsh re~islers of the lower CoI9rado Project. They aid the two dams 'WOUld alter. the now of the Colorado River and the na- tural scenery or the Grand ( Canyon. Californ)e and Arizona, after many .years of r.ontro- versy and htigation in the Supreme Court. approached the hearing in agreement. Plan Backed California would liUpport the construction of the cen- tral Arizona project proVId- ed its existing: projects, now u$in~ 5.1 million a';re feet 01 ~ D A . : S.o. . . . ,------ . : NEB. I ----..----.!_--"'. . I I._- I I . , 'i:l ~ ~ ~ i . : TElCAS . . I , . _J NO DECISION by ea....,."--' lbII 011_ pIaIlIlIIc:IaIlIoI- SoeftIuJ year on tbe Lower CcIIufDbla Rlvw water Stnnrt UdaD'. ColumbIa Rift!' ~ ...joc:~Map__"'.....water _II_by"'""" 1iFSlEIlN WATEIl PROlECI'-by F. Z. P1rkeJ~' water from Deal' tile Dalles Dam, ani. It to Late MNd. PACI\'IC SOIJl1lERN WATEIl PLAN by _ UdIII U.. N_... CoIIIonWo water i1110 CIIl/IIl1I1a s,.tem. 0000004 SNAKE-alLORADO PROJECl by Sam B. N_ _ water from Snake River, trauportl"l It to Lake ..... I:II=IClC'tI YELWWSTONE.Snake-G1ftII Project lDwlftS ~ Yellowltone water ror lime amount of Snake nIer'. .e.".., NORm AMERICAN Waler and Power AlUanee or RaJpb'. M. Parsons Co. make! use of water from bib, CaDIda. __._. SIERRA.cASCADE ProJeeI. bJ E. Fruit M1Der ,..... pump water !rom _.1lmD "lib elUlallo~' Colorado River water to supply the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. the Imperial lni. gatioD District and other areas, were guaranteed 4.4 million acre feet a year. Arizaoa ogreod 10 !hll conditiQ.n. whIch would mean that wben a water sborage develoP8 B!ter all projects in the Upper Basin states begin using their fllll allot men t s of Colorado River wate~l California: would take me fim cut --back to 4.-4 mlUion acre feet-and the Central Arl-I zona p"?jea would stand the remamder of the ahortage. I', Und~r the agreement, sup- " '.. ! I; " " I I I I' I: 'I '. ,. II ! " II .1 I. I' i: I I I I'