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Show BENNETT BLASTS RELEASE OF LAKE POWELL WATERS "Future reclamation projects proj-ects thruout the entire Upper Up-per Colorado Basin have been threatened by Interior Secretary Udall's release of water from Lake Powell In Southern Utah," Sen. Wallace Wal-lace F. Benett charged. "If we can't even fill Glenn Canyon Dam, how can we begin be-gin to discuss the construction of the vital Central Utah Project, Proj-ect, of Bridge and Marble Canyon dams, and of the Central Cen-tral Arizona Project?" he uaid. Senator Bennett, in a letter to Secretary of the Interior Stewart L Udall, asked for a "full and complete" report of events leading up to the release re-lease of water from Glen Canyon Can-yon Dam. The Interior Secretary announced an-nounced last week that he had ordered outlet gates at the dam to be opened sufficiently to release re-lease water stored in Lake Powell at a rate that will maintain storage in Lake Mead at a minimum of 14.5 million acre feet. Senator Bennett wrote: "I join other Utah citizens in expressing ex-pressing disappointment that the Interior Department did not officially notify the Utah Congressional delegation, Gov. George D. Clyde, nor any Upper Up-per Colorgdo River officials in Utah until only hours before the formal announcement was made." He asked the Secretary to answer a series of questions including "Last year there was virtually a full Hoover Dam. What happened to this water? "Why did your Department allow the release of more water wat-er from Lake Mead than was required to meet the 1.5 million mil-lion acre feet of Mexican entitlements. en-titlements. How much water above the entitlement is still being given to Mexico? How much more Colorado River water above the criteria did President Johnson commit to Mexico in his meeting with President Mateos at Los Angeles An-geles earlier this year?" "Who is to reimburse the Utah Fish and Game Department Depart-ment for any fish and wildlife kill as a result of the water release?" |