Memorandum of Meeting on Colorado River Salinity

Memorandum of Meeting: From Louis F. Blanchard, "Colorado River salinity," September 3, 1964, page 3-3- in deliveries over and above 1-1/2 million acre-feet per annum. It was explained that these States would exert powerful opposition in the Congress to any plan for a bypass requiring releases from storage. Commissioner Friedkin then referred to Commissioner Herrera's advice that Mexico would have no objection to a solution through the installation of tile drainage which would provide, as nearly as practicable, for direct return flows from the Wellton-Mohawk District. Accordingly, the United States has since that time directed its attention to the advantages and disadvantages of a tile drain solution along the following lines: 3. Tile Drain Considerations. a) Advantages (1) Would provide as Mexico has requested, direct return flows as nearly as they can be physically obtained. (2) The United States would be acting to do everything physically possible to resolve the problem. (3) Tile drains would not require water from storage. b) Disadvantages (1) Cost - $29 million. (2) Longer time required for installation than for a bypass. (3) Uncertainty of results. The United States Commissioner particularly emphasized the uncertainty concerning the result of tile drains and provided the Mexican Commissioner with the data contained in the following summary: 4. Uncertainty of results of Tile Drains. a) Basic difference in technical views of scientists of United States - 1) Bureau of Reclamation, and 2) United States Geological Survey, primarily relating to the degree of heterogenity of the sediments underlying the Wellton-Mohawk area; and resulting differences in estimates of flow patterns to tile drains. b) Sediment strata and salinity were outlined: 2300 ppm 12' Sand - Silt 51' 4000 ppm 27' Gravel 34' 6250 ppm 46' Total 85' Total 85'Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 1,793,051 byte