Statement of Floyd E. Dominy, Commissioner of Reclamation, Before the Subcommittee on Irrigation and Reclamation Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, U.S. Senate on S. 1658

Document: Statement of Floyd E. Dominy, Commissioner of Reclamation, Before the Subcommittee on Irrigation & Reclamation, Committee on Interior & Insular Affairs, U.S. Senate on S. 1658, page 36Under the plan proposed by S. 1658, these areas could benefit from the project through exchange arrangements since Colorado River water could be used to replace appropriated water diverted upstream in the watershed areas. The import water supply would benefit many Indian reservations throughout the area and would also provide area redevelopment benefits. The water supply problems of Arizona and western New Mexico have increased in severity throughout the more than 10 years that the case of Arizona vs. California, et al., has been in litigation. During this period the cost of pumping water in the face of declining ground-water levels has increased progressively year by year. Should the project be authorized in this Congress under S. 1658, it would probably be 10 years or more before water would be flowing through the system to help alleviate this situation. As a consequence of the recent Supreme Court opinion in the case of Arizona vs. California, et al., a water supply for the project has been assured. While the cost of the project has increased since 1947 in accordance with the trend of the times, the benefits to be derived from the project and the ability of water users to repay the costs have increased at a far greater rate. Colorado River water is more urgently needed to sustain the present development and provide for future growth of this dynamic area today, and the Central Arizona Project is also far more feasible from an economic and financial standpoint. 36Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 1,026,264 byte