The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1922-12-02
COLORADO RIVER
COMP ACT SIGNED
The Agreement Will Become Valid
When Approved by Seven State
Legislatures and the Con-
gress of the u. S.

Regarding the recent meeting at
Santa Fe, New Mexico, participated
in by the representatives of seven
states, who met there and held a
conference with Secretary of Com.
merce Herbert Hoover relative to
the Boulder = Canyon dam project
a special message to the Reno Jour-
nal says:
In the historic Ben Hur room in
the old Palace of the Governors of
Santa Fe and upon the lapboard
upon which General Lew Wallace
wrote most of his manuscript, repre-
sentatives of seven states at 6:55
signed compact to insure the ex-
peditious agricultural and industrial
development of the Colorado river
basin, the storage of its waters and
the protection of life and property
from flood.
First of Kind
The states signatory to this COM
pact, the first of its kind in America,
are Arizona, California, Colorado,
Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wy
oming. The signers in the order
of the states given are W. S. Nor
viel, w. F. Mcclure, DELPHI E.
Carpenter, ]. G. Scrugham, Stephen
b. Davies, Jr., R. H. Caldwell and
Frank C. Morrison.
Herbert Hoover, secretary of
commerce, representing the federal
government, who has presided at
the conference, handed the signers
the special gold pen provided by
the state of New Mexico for the
purpose, and which will be pre-
served in the state archives. Gov
ernor Mechem of New Mexico and
a small group of Santa Fe men and
women were present at the signing
and photographs were taken of
Secretary Hoover and the COM
missioners in the act of affixing
tHeir signatures.
The compact, completed after
l8 days of intense application by
the commission, is about 1000 words
long and is composed of IL articles.
Its purpose, expressed in the first
article, include the following:
ITO provide for the equitable
division and apportionment of the
use of the waters of the Colorado
river basin; to establish the rela-
tive Importance of different bene-
fetal uses of water; to promote in
terstate comfy and to remove
causes OF present and future con-
troversies."
Basin IL Divided
The compact divides the river
basin into two divisions, the upper
including Wyoming, Utah, Colo
RADIO and New Mexico; the lower,
Arizona, Nevada and California.
The agreement apportions in per-
petuity to each section the Eek
elusive beneficial use" of 100000
acre feet of water annually, includ-
ing water necessary for supplying
existing rights.
The lower basin also is given the
right to increase such water by
| 100000 acre feet per annum. 1t
is provided that if the United States
recognizes any right of Mexico to
use OF the Colorado river waters, it
shall be supplied by the surplus,
from the two divisions equally.
Further apportionment of unappor-
toned waters may be made 4Ol
years hence, if the present appor-
tionment has been fully utilized.
Use of the river for navigation
s made subservient to agricultural
use. The right of each state to
regulate water use within its bound
lries is not abridged.
resent Rights Unimpaired
Through commissioners, whose
Icts are subject to legislative ap-
'roval, provision is made for set
ing future interstate controversies.
resent perfected rights to the bene-
lcial use of water are unimpaired;
ne compact may be terminated at
ny time by unanimous consent;
othing in it is to affect obligations
y the government to the Indians,
or shall anything in it limit legal
roceedings to enforce it.
Provision also is made for the
citing up Of committee Of state
nd national water officials for the
election of information and the
of the flow of the
iver. The compact is to become
hiding when ratified by the state
,gislatures and congress.
Confidence that all state legisla-
ares involved will approve the COM
act was expressed by various COM
<s~.son~~~ II