WSP07317

• File Number: 8210.140.20
• Description: Colorado River Basin Organizations and Entities - Colorado River Basin States Forum - California
• State: CA
• Basin: Western Slope
• Date: 1/1/1971
• Author: Myron B Holburt
• Title: Annual Report for the Calendar Year 1970
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Annual Report

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of a reconnaissance nature, to be carried out
under the general authority of reclamation
law, and to be coordinated with other studies
being conducted under the Water Resources
Planning Act of 1965.
In )uly 1970 the Bureau of Reclamation
initiated the Westwide Studies investigation
with a fiscal year 1970-71 budget of $1,480,-
000, The Bureau distributed a study plan out-
line in August 1970, invited comments there-
on, and held a meeting with representatives
of the eleven western states and several fed-
eral agencies on September 30 and October 1,
1970, The state and federal agencies present-
ed their views and commented on the the
proposed study plan outline, The Colorado
River Board developed comments which
were included in a single California state-
ment presented at the meeting by Herbert
W. Greydanus of the Department of Water
Resources. The Chief Engineer commented
on the aspects of the study plan outline spe-
cifically relating to the Colorado River. The
principal comments at this meeting were in
the following areas:

1. The plan does not emphasize the water resources
problems of the Colorado River Basin which are
the principal purpose of the legislation.
2. The states want to participate at the policy level of
the Westwide Studies as well as at the working
level.
3. The proposed study is broader in scope than in-
tended by the legislation and would thereby tend to
be too costly.
4. Centralized control of the study is needed; this
should be accomplished with appropriation of aU
funds to the Bureau of Reclamation for further
allocation to others as necessary to finance specific
inputs.

There were some dissenting views to these
points, however. For example, the Pacific
Northwest River Basins Commission recom-
mended that existing coordination and fund-
ing arrangments under the Water Resources
Council should be used to the greatest extent
possible. Comments of federal agencies gen-
erally covered the area of funding, extent of
agency participation, and responsibility. The
representatives of the Colorado River Basin
states emphasized that the major thrust of

Titles I and II was to develop a plan which
would provide additional water supplies for
the Colorado River.
A task force of representatives of the states
and the federal agencies was formed to draft
a plan of study for the investigation. The task
force was divided into three teams and as-
signed the responsibilities for developing (a)
study objectives, scope, assumptions, and cri-
teria; (b) study outline, exhibits, and recom-
mendations; and (c) work plans, schedule,
and budget programs. The Board's Principal
Hydraulic Engineer participated in the work
of this task force which developed a draft for
the plan of study, In December 1970, the
draft plan of study was sent for review to the
eleven western states, various federal agen-
cies, Western States Water Council, river ba-
sin commissions, and interagency commit-
tees.
As drafted, the plan of study defined the
objective and scope of the Westwide Studies
as being the development of a general plan to
meet the water development and manage-
ment needs of the eleven western states, with
a special effort being the development of a
regional water plan to serve as the frame-
work for coordination and construction of
projects in the Colorado River Basin. The
plan of study further proposed that water
requirements and supplies be finalized dur-
ing the first two years of the study and pre-
sented in the June 30, 1973, progress report;
that the June 1975 progress report will in-
clude the presentation of a regional water
plan for the Colorado River Basin and alter-
native water plans for the entire west; and
that the final June 1977 report present the
recommended plan, selected from the vari-
ous alternatives, Although this draft was
somewhat of an improvement over the origi-
nal plan of study, it still did not meet many
of the important criticisms made by rhe sta-
te's representatives,
In the latter part of 1970 the Commissioner
of Reclamation formed an Advisory Commit-
tee for the Westwide Studies consisting of
representatives of approximately 30 entities,
including states, boards, commissions, and

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