Gunnison news-champion., 1923-03-23
Seven-States Treaty
q. X. Says Rockwell
Continued from Page Onel


Continued from Page Onel
compact signed By the commissioners
has b.su the subject Of th0TO consider
atIaH and meets WIth general approval.
10 De- O. happy and fortunate solution OF
. dIIG,gIt problem. IL assures maxi
mum future Development Of the Colo
RADIO area without detr.meut 10 New
Mexico l. opens the field FOR reser-
y0ir con t-ICtIuu in Colorado and as
alr-s the tue - the vatsr 10 b. i'm
POUNDED The fixing Of the title AZ
fgr4F a-lIT-Ele % the investment Of
capita. use.EEarr % the construction
Of large irrigation works upon the
river. The increasing return waters
from .Ee irrigated lands Iu Colorado
are aItuU. lL.raIIy solving the inter-
tate d.Flcl-tsea and ultimately viii
care for the greater part Of the 0bIga-
ugna undertaken by Colorado IN the
compact
The Colorado river area, including
part. Of the seveu state. has been
pre- 8Isiy d--cnbed in many articles
appearing lu the pres. The article
appearing 90 the Rocky Mountain
Neas, OF March u, 1928. by Haskins.
glrez % terae de=erptlon Of the strCam
and u problems The interstate rela-
.irns upon that stream are brought TO
the f8nn by reason Of the Increasing
flood menace % the Imperial Valley in
California There mus; 0e immediate
and enormous reservoirs constructed
TO control the floods Of the river The
ply alrul conditions are compelling ae-
ZION. But the construction Of ouch
rtsssTvUiEs must not result IN prior ap-
preparation Of the waters Of the river
20 the iytumrnt Of the upper states
The cost Of the construction must be
repaid BY the use Of the water, both
for power and irrigation. But such
uses must not result IN an embargo
against future development in the
states Of the origin Of the water.
In this connection one must not
overlook the recent decision of the
United States Supreme Court in the
case Of Wyoming Us. Colorado, which
established the principle Of priorities
on interstate streams between differ
ent states. | discussed this phase OF
the problem IN former letter. The
experience on the Rio Grande and
North Platte rivers, where claims Of
prior appropriation are made TO the
whole remaining flow Of the river,
brings 10 the fore the necessity of
protecting our future development
against claims Of prior appropriation
by lower states. This is accomplish
eli by resort 10 the treaty making pow
crs Of the states.
The Colorado river compact furnishes
the required protection. 1t is fair to
the lower states and guarantees prac-
ucally unlimited development to the
upper states for all time 10 come.
The compact conforms to natures di-
version OF the drainage area of the
stream into an upper and lower basin.
These areas are separated from each
other by the great canyon of the river.
The drainage area OF the river is Like
great hour glass. Over IS per cent
Of the water Of the stream rises IN
the upper part of the basin, but The
flow from upper tributaries Is united 20
form a single stream at the head Il
the canon at Lee Ferry. which is just
below the south line of the Utah. Al
the waters from the upper catchment
basin must ilow past this point ike
the grains Of sand running thru IN
hour glass. Waste and return IyutaFs
4
the original water from snow drifts
and rains to form Il single stream ut
this point. This is the natural point
of control and measurement. Here the
states OF the upper basin will deliver
water to the lower basin after all uses
in the upper basin.
The measured flow of the Colorado
river at Lee Ferry for 1922 was TO-
100000 acre feet. This was the net
flow OF the river after all uses and
within the upper basin.
The flow of the river has been measure
ed and recorded for quarter Of a
century, and the flow for 1922 happens
ed to be almost exactly an average
of the flow for the % year period of
measurements. In other words, the
1922 Lee Ferry record represents the
dependable average flow of the river
at that point. Engineers estimate that
the flow would have been over lS,500,-
600 acre feet at that point had there
been no diversions of water from the
stream above that point
The flow at Lee Ferry was officially
ascertained by the u. S. Geological
Survey, in cooperation with the state
engineers of the seven Colorado river
states. The measurements were care
fully made and the records are anthem
tic. Nothing was left to guess or
100000 acre feet of
water actually flowed past that point
in 1922, and this was nearly (l0l per
cent? an average year. | discuss this
point because many interested persons
are not aware of the actual flow Of
the river at Lee Ferry.
The compact provides that the up
per states shall not deplete the flow
at Lee Ferry below 100000 acre.
feet in any ten year period, in progress
sive series. In other words, the upper
states agree to permit what amounts
to an average flow of 7,500, 900 acre
feet TO pass Lee Ferry each year, altho
all that is required of the upper states
is to permit the passage of an aggre.I
gate of 100000 acre feet during
any ten year period, which, depending