Water and the West

Document: Water and the West by Senator Henry M. Jackson, November 5, 1965, page 87. the Columbia, unlike a power interite, would always be a one--way street. We have no plans to bring Central Valley Project water northward, and I am sure you would not want us to make any such plans. Does all of this mean that the Northwest wants to hoard its water while other areas of the country are thirsty? I do not think so. What it means is that the Northwest is not going to be lulled into a false sense of security about a proposal which casts such a long and dark shadow on its future. Why, you ask, does the Northwest object even to studies of diversion? Such studies, from the point of view of people in the Northwest, would not put first things first. The people asks for a study of the diversion of the Columbia River, such region first must establish that it actually needs additional water and that it cannot obtain additional water by any reasonable means except diverting the Columbia. To confuse the question of water need with that of water diversion inevitably will make it difficult to reach an objective decision on the question of need. The temptation will be great for those conducting the study to side-step, or least postpone, hard decisions of water management and conservation by recommending the importation of water from another region. If the study is being conducted by an agency with a large staff of engineers eager to build the biggest ditch in the world, the tempation may be irresistible. To ask an agency whose business is to construct water projects whether it is necessary to divert the Columbia is something like asking an automobile salesman's advice on whether you should purchase a new car. The people of the Northwest are generous and good-hearted, but not profligate. Perhaps you have heard about a tribe of Northwest Indians who observed a quaint custom called the potlatch. The objective of the potlatch was to give away all of one's worldly possessions. He who gave away the most enjoyed the highest status. This tribe and its custom no longer flourish in the Northwest. So much for the concerns of the Northwest. I hope you will give these comments thoughtful and friendly consideration just as the people of the Northwest will give the same consideration to your needs and desires. The fates of our regions are bound together. The Northwest will not prosper unless you do. You will not flourish if the Northwest's economy withers. It is absolutely essential that a problem which involves the vital interests of both regions be solved by mutual agreement. To solve it, we must assemble the facts thatEpson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 2,545,500 byte