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CONFIDENTIAL July 31, 1964 MEMORANDUM TO MR. RALPH DUNGAN (J. F. Friedkin) SUBJECT: Conclusions and Suggested Actions, Colorado River Salinity Problem Pursuant to your request for my recommendations for actions to be taken, there are outlined below, a) conclusions which may be drawn at this time from my discussions with the Mexican Commissioner, * and b) the action program now indicated, in effort to reach a solution to the Colorado River salinity problem, under instructions dated July 1, 1964: Conclusions 1) Mexico will accept a "river by-pass" as an interim solution for the coming winter 1964-65. 2) Mexico will not accept a "river by-pass" solution after 1964-65. 3) Mexico favors a "separate by-pass channel" as a basis for a solution. 4) But the acceptability to the United States of any "by-pass" solution has been seriously reduced, if not removed, by Mexico's recent plans to increase its treaty winter deliveries, which in a major part eliminates the "excess waters" over and above treaty deliveries, available for by-passing without loss of water. The effect is that a by-pass solution would require the by-passing of waters over and above "excess waters" without charge to Mexico by amounts ranging from to 40,000 to 60,000 acre-feet per year, for a number of years. These are waters which could otherwise effect savings in stored waters for use by the United States. 5) A "gravity (tile) drainage" solution now offers the only solution that would not cause loss of water to the United States. Such works are estimated to cost $15 to $20 million. Action Program Recommended A) Determination by the United States as between (1) a "separate by-pass channel" and (2) "gravity drains", in consultation with: * Reference copies attached of: a) Memos of Conversation - presenting U. S. proposals, July 1 and July 3, 1964. b) Memo of Meetings - Mexican Commissioner's response, July 23, 1964. c) Memo - Interim Analysis of Discussions - July 26, 1964. d) Memo of Conversation - July 31, 1964. CONFIDENTIALEpson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 10,157,568 byte