The Parker post., 1913-10-11
BIG PROJECT
BEING URGED
TO CONSERVE WATER FOR ALL
OF THE SOUTHWEST is PLAN
OF THE COLORADO RIVER CON-
MISSION.

a10eCLlng the entlre watershed Oh Tue
Colorado and forever assuring the
country on both sides of that river,
from the Grand Canyon to its mouth,
OF an amplitude of water for the pres
ent and potential reclamation pro-
Jects. was urged Saturday by Willis
H. Booth, chairman of the advisory
board of the Arizona and California
River Regulation Commission, as the
one feasible solution of a vexed Ques-
ton in which interstate and inter-
national issues bulk big.
The occasion was the conference
of commission members and others
with Louis c. Hill, supervising engi-
-neer Of the United States Reclamatio
Service, and personal representative
OF Secretary of the Interior Lane, In
directors room Of the Chamber OF
Commerce at Los Angeles. The con-
ference resulted from an invitation
extended Lane by the board some
weeks ago to visit Los Angeles while
in the West to hear the Southwest's
arguments against four upper Colo
RADIO diversion schemes by which that
stream is to be robbed of water in
excess of the present minimum vast.
age AS llness prevented Lane from
accepting this invitation, he, at the
solicitation of the board delegated
Hill as his personal representative.
The Parker district was represent
ed by T.. NJ. brennan and Attorney
A. ]. Casebeer. These gentlemen
looked after the interests of Parker
in the discussion which followed.
Against Diversion.
Public policy and welfare cry Out
against diversion schemes not based
on an accurate photographic survey
of the Colorado and it's tributaries
said Booth, summing up the case OF
the Southwest Let them be made
as preface to definite plans for stol-
age basins which will conserve ths
watershed of 225. 900 suqare miles
With this done, the future of the 500;
900 acres now under irrigation from
this river and of additional 1885 ,00{
acres possible of irrigation in Cal
ifornia, Arizona and Mexico will be as
sured forever So will a supply for
the contiguous irrigation districts O:
Colorado.
Not only has the Colorado delta
country of Arizona, alifornia. and
Mexico an area capable of irrigation
three times greater than that now ir
rigated. but the present maximum
flow of the stream, scientifically i'm
pounded, will be in excess of the larg
est possible demand by % per cent,
was the gist of brief submitted by
former assistant Chief Engineer Lip
pincctt Of the aqueduct. This briet
was filed as one of the boards cX-
hitlts for submission to Lane.
Lippincott mentioned the poasibili-
ties Of endless litigation, both of in
terstate ard International as JcCt
latent in the CONT u"ersy.
1T promises unless something is
done, 10 end in The Hague tribunal
TO our disadvantage, said T. E. Glib
bon, q member of the Reclamation
Commisslon;s Ways and Means Com
mite. Lane, when was in the
East, admitted to me that it was a
vexIng question, Impossible of easy
solution. He said that he could not
gee how the waters of an interstate
and International river could be bot
tied up by the State of Colorado on
the ground that it's constitution pro-
vided for absolute State supervision
of all waters originating within it's
boundaries.
T'He said that the two Senators
from Colorado had attempted to push
the Colorado river matter to legal
'o9AN5 uut IhO SOfO1 "Sio
not prepared yet to enter an argument
like that which resulted in Colorado
mOnoplizing. through court action,
the entire excess flow of the Arkan-
sas river.
international Phase.
Then there is the international
issue, one that we must consider, the
country must consider, from every
angle, for l confidently believe that
if the matter is preclpitated into the
Hague tribunal a decision may be
forthcoming which may force
restoration of such of the water of
the Colorado as will make it in eff
feet, not technically, a navigable
stream AS we have recognized it as