Letter Responding to Request for Comments on the International Aspects of S. 1658

Letter: From Joseph F. Friedkin, to Dean Rusk, Secretary of State, March 26, 1964 (photocopy), page 2-2- I, therefore, recommend that authorization of the Lower Colorado River groundwater recovery feature not be one for immediate authorization, but rather be included among the features of the over-all plan required for detailed study. The aim is to avoid insofar as practical another serious and critically difficult water problem with Mexico, as that which now confronts us, and which we are committed to resolve. Section 3 (c) of the draft bill provides for construction of the Charleston Dam on San Pedro River as a part of the Central Arizona project. The plans should take into account, if they do not already, that of the total 1200 square miles of the drainage basin above the dam, 700 are in Mexico, which could be developed to seriously reduce the reservoir yield in the United States. Further, with reference to the Central Arizona project, it is understood that drainage waters from this project are expected in time to reach the Colorado River and be delivered to Mexico. While it now appears that the salts carried by such waters would be well within the criteria of salt balance operations, this aspect would bear consideration in plans and operations. Section 5 of the draft bill provides for creation of a Pacific Southwest Regional Water Commission for coordination of Federal, State and local water development plans, to include the Secretary of the Interior or his Deputy who would serve as Chairman, a representative of each of the States concerned, and a representative of the Secretaries of Agriculture, the Army, and Health, Education and Welfare. It is recommended that this section be modified to include a representative of the Secretary of State in order that the proposed commission may be aware of and take into consideration international aspects of the Lower Colorado River and other streams crossing the boundary in the Pacific Southwest, again in an effort to avoid recurrence of a water problem with Mexico such as that now before us. Respectfully, /s/ Joseph F. Friedkin United States Commissioner International Boundary and Water CommissionEpson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 1,706,142 byte