A Bill to Approve a Regional Approach to the Development of the Water Resources of the Pacific Southwest and to Authorize Features of the Initial Pacific Southwest Water Plan

Document: A Bill To approve a regional approach to the development of the water resources of the Pacific Southwest and to authorize features of the Initial Pacific Southwest Water Plan, 1-29-64, page 22projects that are available after fulfillment of repayment requirements and after reimbursement to the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund of any expenditures made therefrom to meet Hoover power deficiencies during the filling period of the storage unit reservoirs of the Colorado River Storage Project. These revenues will be available for: (1) payment of reimbursable operation, maintenance, replacement, and emergency (but not construction) costs; (2) return to the Treasury of all reimbursable construction costs within fifty years, including irrigation costs beyond the ability of the water users to repay and the added costs involved in supplying water under the 7.5 million acre-feet guarantee referred to in section 1; and (3) any payments or assistance that might be required to provide financial protection to areas of origin from which water supplies are exported to the Pacific Southwest region. Interest rates would be set for each project according to the formula applicable to the Colorado River Storage project and under the Water Supply Act of 1958. Initial Features Section 3 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to construct, operate, and maintain the following features of the Initial Pacific Southwest Water Plan: (a) Mainstream Reservoir division. This consists of the "high" Bridge Canyon Dam at the head of Lake Mead and the Marble Canyon Dam below Glen Canyon on the Colorado River. Also included are the small Coconino Dam on the Little Colorado River to control debris in the Grand Canyon and the Paria Dam on the Paria River to control silt in the Marble reservoir. (b) Water salvage. This program of water salvage through groundwater recovery and phreatophyte control along and adjacent to the mainstream, generally as set forth in the Secretary's report, would supplement the work undertaken under the Act of June 28, 1946 (60 Stat. 338) as a part of the Colorado River Front Work and Levee System. (c) Central Arizona Project. Hooker dam and reservoir, New Mexico, is included among the project works on the assumption that the water rights problems will be resolved. Delivery of Central Arizona project water to any service area is made conditional on the existence of effective measures that are adequate in the judgment of the Secretary to control expansion of irrigation from groundwater aquifers affecting the contract service area. The Secretary also is authorized to require persons receiving water service under the project 2Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 1,193,958 byte