Memorandum on Pacific Southwest Regional Water Commission

Memorandum: From Kenneth Holum & W.B. Bennett, to Stewart Udall, Pacific Southwest Regional Water Commission, Dec 24, 1963, page 3Phase I of the Pacific Southwest Water Project contemplates the conveyance of 1.2 million acre-feet of water from northern to southern California to guarantee against deficiencies in water supplies available from the Lower Colorado River. It is apparent that the planning for the Pacific Southwest is associated with the water development program for the remainder of the State. Consequently, we believe that the proposed commission should be related to planning for the entire State of California. Proposed position: We recommend that the position of the Department should be governed by the following: 1. A Pacific Southwest Regional Water Commission should be established composed of one representative from each of the States of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, appointed in accordance with State law, or by the Governor in the absence of State law; and a representative from each affected Federal agency appointed by the agency head. 2. The Secretary of the Interior should be chairman of the commission, with the right to appoint a deputy chairman who would serve in his absence. 3. The functions of the commission would be to: a) advise the Secretary of the Interior with respect to the discharge of his statutory and judicially recognized responsibilities with respect to the Lower Colorado River; b) serve as the principal agency for the coordination of Federal, State, interstate and local plans for the water and related land resources of the region; c) coordinate with State and Federal agencies the preparation of a comprehensive, joint plan for the region and particularly to advise concerning stage development and alternatives; and d) recommend long-range schedules of priorities for the collection and analysis of basic data and for investigation, planning, and construction of projects, 3Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 2,531,559 byte