Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-26
BY FRED THERoUx

BY FRED THEKOUA
The Colorado River Storage
Project. dream Of Western
reclamationists for more than
80 years, comes UP in the
House Tuesday for a final
vote. 1t has been q close fight.
and a few votes either way
win decide the fate Of the
measure.
The House bill Is substan-
TALLY cut down from a meas
ure passed by the Senate last
year. The controversial Echo
Park dam has been eliminated.
The House bill. contem-
plating an expenditure Of
nearly $3.50 million, according
to Bureau Of Reclamation
estimates. calls for an inte-
grated system Of dams and
storage reservoirs to regulate
and control the waters Of the
Upper Colorado Basin. Q vast
four-State area utah, Colo
RADIO, New Mexico and Wyo-
lningl In which water Is Of
supreme importance.
The Colorado. with its trih-
utaries, constitutes the great
est source of water in the
immense intermountain region.
It flows into the Gulf Of
California after cutting in q
turbulent course through some
Of the most breathtaking
scenery in America. Already
through the terms Of the
Colorado Compact Of 1922,
the river provides water and
power for the burgeoning econ
omy of Southern California as
well as for Arizona and South
ern Nevada.
While the regulation in the
National interest Of such a
critically important drainage
system would seem to be q
clearly desirable endeavor, the
project has been beset with de-
termined opposition since Its
inception. The Lower Basin
States. led by California, have
attacked the plan vigorously
and INCREASINGLY as a certain
menace TO their guaranteed
water supply. At the same
time, Spokesman for Eastern
and Middle western States
have complained that the
project, immensely expensive,
would benefit only four States
Immediately but would be paid
for by the taxpayers Of the
entire Nation.
Proponents Cite Need
To this, the proponents Of
the project have replied that
the control and regulation Of
this life-giving water, Affect
ing 50 large an area and hay.
ing q certainly important effect
on the future growth Of .
large part Of inland America.
II an absolute necessity. They
point out that the completion
Of the project will, through its
control features. preserve mil
lions of acre-feet Of water now
permitted to escape in erod-
ing fury during wet years, and
assure the Lower Basin States
of a constant and dependable
source of water for the in
definite future. The Reclama-
ton Bureau has consistently
backed UP this forecast, and
the bill before the House has
the Endorsement Of the admin
istration and Of Congressional
leaders Of both parties.
At the conclusion of debate
this week, which promises to
be vigorous, the House will
vote on Q revised project which
includes these major dams and
storage reservoirs:
Flaming Gorge, on tn e
Green River In Utah;
Curecanti, on the Gunnison
in Colorado;
Glen Canyon (illustratedD .
on the Colorado just across the
Arizona line from Utah, and
Navajo, on the upper San Juan
In New Mexico.
The Echo Park site, at the
confluence Of the Green and
Yampa Rivers in Colorado
near the Utah border. has been
abandoned. Aroused conser-
vationists succeeded in their
long and dedicated fight to
eliminate Echo Park because II
would inundate a major part Of
the Dinosaur National Monu-
ment. Backers Of the House
bill have pledged that no effort
will be made to restore Echo
Park to the bill when and II 1t
goes to conference to have its
differences with the Senate
measure worked out.
No Power Dispute
Oddly enough in the light
Of other water projects de-
bated in the past few years
the Upper Colorado bill has
never been the center OF
public-versus- private powei
fight. Although large quaint.
ties Of electric power will be
generated II the dams are
built--a total Of $4,000 kilo.
watts at Flaming Gorge anc
Glen Canyon alone--the power
aspect is considered a by-pro.
duct Of the dams primary pur'
pose.
Throughout the long anc
sometimes bitter fight waged BY
reclamationists and the at.
fected Western States to wiz
authorization Of the project
= much has been said Of the vss'