United States and Mexico Reach Agreement on Lower Colorado River Salinity Problem

Document: From Office of the Secretary, United States Department of the Interior, news release, March 23, 1965UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR *********************news release OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY For Release March 23, 1965 UNITED STATES AND MEXICO REACH AGREEMENT ON LOWER COLORADO RIVER SALINITY PROBLEM The Presidents of the United States and Mexico today announced approval of an agreement on the lower Colorado River salinity problem. The agreement takes the form of a "Minute"--that is, record of a Commission decision--of the International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico. Under the arrangements agreed upon for a five-year period, the United States through the Interior Department's Bureau of Reclamation will, subject to the availability of appropriations, undertake to construct by October of this year an extension of the drainage channel of the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District in Arizona. The extension will permit discharge of Wellton-Mohawk drainage into the Colorado River either above or below Mexico's Morelos Dam, as Mexico may request. The discharges above Morelos Dam would be diverted for irrigation of Mexican lands, while discharges below the dam would flow to the Gulf of California. All Wellton-Mohawk drainage will be accounted for as a part of the water delivered to Mexico under the treaty of 1944. The United States will control the flows in the river reaching Morelos Dam during the winter months so that, excluding this drainage, those flows will meet Mexico's minimum scheduled deliveries under the treaty. The discharge of Wellton-Mohawk drainage above Morelos Dam is to be coordinated, insofar as practicable, with Mexico's scheduled deliveries in order to minimize the salinity of its irrigation water. The International Commission will keep the operation continually under review. Both Governments reserve all legal rights. Essentially, the proposed works would be operated so as to discharge the most highly saline drainage water from the Wellton-Mohawk district below Mexico's principal diversion point during the winter months when irrigation requirements in the Mexicali Valley are at their lowest. During this period, this would be accomplished by pumping the most saline drainage water into the extension channel for discharge below Morelos Dam. At other times, when Mexico schedules increased deliveries of irrigation water, drainage water would be pumped from the less saline wells in the Wellton-Mohawk district so that most or all of it may be discharged from the extension channel into the Colorado above Morelos Dam. There it would mingle with other Colorado River flows and be diverted by Mexico for irrigation. Attached is a copy of the Minute and a map of the directly affected areas. x x xEpson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 24 bit, 2,244,908 byte