Memorandum on Solution to Salinity Problem Associated With Delivery of Colorado River Water to Mexico Under Treaty of February 1944

Cover document: Memorandum: From Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of State, "Solution to Salinity Problem associated with delivery of Colorado River water to Mexico under Treaty of February 1944", draft 12/1/64 (thermofax), page 3drainage waters delivered ??? shall be accounted for as a part of the water described in ??? 10 of the Water Treaty of February 3, 1944. The solution to this most vexing problem offers advantages to each country. It satisfies Mexico as to the unsability of minimum flows which will be scheduled under the treaty. It offers the advantage to the United States of avoiding a long and costly judicial approach to a determination, and assurea adequate drainage of the Wellton-Mohawk Division of the Gila Project. The implementation of the plan might require the release of a nominal amount of stored water to the Recorded flow over the last several years indicate that there should be sufficient water without release to fill Mexico's treaty orders. However, We have been tightening a water management of the river in the last year, and releases might be as much as- Annually. If such releases prove necessary. We belive it is a justified step to take in satisfaction of this international problem. Moreover, they Would be only a small percentage of the annual water salvage attributed to the Federal Government's channelization program along the lower Colorado River.They would also be much less than it would cost us in terms of water if we had installed the draing at Welton- Mohawk,the flow from which could not be regulated Because of the international complexity of the problem and the concerns that have been expressed in each of the Colorado River Basin States as to the limited water supply presently available we propose 3Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 24 bit, 2,323,932 byte