The Coconino sun., 1925-09-11
UPPER BASIN STATES
STATE THEIR POSITION

governors Oi OOfOFduO, NEW MEXICO,
Utah and Wyoming.
1. The Colorado river rises. in the
states Of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah
and Wyoming. The, lands are arid and
the first use. of the waters of the river
is essential to the growth develop
ment and the general welfare of our
states. The construction of enormous
works on the lower river, which might
give rise to assertions of claim to
monopolistic and exclusive use of our
waters, would be destructive of our
institutions and inimical to our well
fare unless adequate protection is pro-
vided in advance of such construction.
The Colorado river compact affords
this protection 1t protects, the future
development of the upper states with
out injury to the states of the lower
basin and permits immediate con-
struction of necessary flood control
works on the lower river without re-
sultant injury to the upper states. It's
provisions are fair and just. Our legis-
lature ratified the compact, but for
reasons of interstate comfy, we re-
maifed silent that the states of Ari-
iona. and California might conclude
their discussions. But conditions now
demand that we speak lest our silence
be misconstrued.
2. To a more complete understand
ing. we respectfully call attention to
the following events:
(a) In 1905 the Colorado river
broke over the protecting divide and
flowed across the farms of the I'M
perial valley and into the Salton sea,
eroding a deep gorge and threatening
to completely submerge the entire
basin, its farms, towns and cities.
Later the river destroyed the fields
on portions of the Yuma project of
the United States reclamation service
in Arizona. The Aever-increasing. flood
menace caused the citizens of Arizona
and California to press the necessity
of early flood control and river regu-
lation upon the attention of the states
of Colorado river basin. National and
state agencies were solicited to aid in
solving the flood menace and meet
ing of representatives of the seven
Colorado river states was held at Salt
Lake City, Utah, January 1921, 1919,
at which representatives of Arizona
and California ably and earnestly inn
portuned the upper states, upon pleas
of humanity and necessity of immed-
late preservation of lives and property
to assist in the organization of a gem
eral program of flood control, with
full assurance that any works con-
structed for such purposes would in
nowise injure or interfere with present
and future development of the upper
states of the basin.
(b) Similar representative meetings
were held at Los Angeles, at which
the theme of interstate cooperation IN
immediate flood control for the pro-
lection of Yuma project in Arizona
and the Imperial valley in California
was persuasively presented to the at
tention of the delegates and on Au-
guest 25-27, 1920, a similar meeting
was held at Denver, Colo, where rep
resentatives of Arizona and California
again urged the necessity of immed-
late aid upon humanitarian grounds
and gave renewed assurances that
works constructed would never become
a source of monopolistic claims or Of
interference with future development
in the upper states. The governor of
Arizona presided and the director of
the United States reclamation service
and others represented that the water
supply of the Colorado river is ade-
quate to meet present and future me-
cessities of the Colorado river states
and that the use of waters by flood
control and other contemplated works,
for the benefit of the lower river,
would not interfere with the future
use Of the waters of the river in the
upper states. Upon assurances so
given, the following resolution was
adopted:
Resolved, That it is the sense of
this conference that the present and
future rights of the several states
whose territory is in whole or in part
included within the drainage area of
the Colorado river, and the rights of
the United States, to the use and
benefit of the waters of said stream
and it's tributaries, should be settled
and determined by compact or agree
ment between said states and the
United States, with consent of con-
gress, and that the legislatures OF
said states be requested to authorize
the appointment Of a commissioner
for each Of said states for the purpose
of entering into such compact OF
agreement for subsequent ratification
and approval by the legislature Of
each said states and the congress OF
the United States"
(c) The legislatures Of the Colora-
do river states and the congress
promptly authorized the Colorado
river commission to give legal form
and binding force to the many assur-
ances Heretofore given by represen-
tatives of Arizona and California, IN
order to permit immediate flood pro-
lection. At a meeting held at River
side, Calf, December $40, 1921, the
extreme. necessity Of immediate action
was again pressed upon the states
and the members of the Colorado river
commission, by representatives OF Los
Angeles and southern California mu.
nicipalities, the Imperial valley ane
Yuma project in Arizona.
! Id Moved by consideration Of hu
manity and immediate necessity, the
governors Of the Colorado river states
met. at Denver, May 10, 1921, anc
adopted resolutions requesting. con
gress and the president to provide fol
the appointment of representative