Show Washington Scene Sen Frank E. E Moss 1 D DUtah DUtah D- D Utah declared recently that he will delay a decision on calling hearings of 01 his Irrigation Irrigation tion and Subcommittee Subcommittee at least until alter after the meeting of the Colorado River Commission scheduled f for o r Denver on April 6 MOSS 1 HAS liAS been considerIng consider consider- Ing holding such public hear Ings to examine the decisions of the Secretary of the Inter for regarding the release of water from Lake Powell The Senator noted that the governors of the Upper Basin States will also attend the Denver Denver Den Den- ver meeting and he said deliberations may serve to clear the air and sug gest gat a definite course of 01 ac ac- lion tion I have held long cos ces with Secretary Udall Commissioner Com missioner of o 0 n Wayne Aspinall D-C D o 0 I o. o chairman of the louse House Interior Inter Inter- lor Committee on this lcm lem and believe belleve I now have havea a better picture of 01 the situa lion tion THERE ARE still some unanswered un un- answered questions question including disposition last year of the water wa wa- ter In a lull full Lake Mend Mead and apparently releases of 01 Colorado River water t to Mexico I I wIll continue to press for lor retention of the maximum amount of water possible in Lake Powell and I have again counselled delAy of 01 water reo re- lease BUT UT I believe the actions of 01 the Secretary and the Commissioner Com missioner have been misconstrued miscon in many respects And both their actions and the effects of those actions have been exaggerated and misinterpreted by my Republican Republican lican colleagues and other political po opponents TilE TIIE REPUBLICANS obviously are more interested in making sensational charges than In finding linding the facts I have assurances from Secretary Udall and Commis s sinner ner Dominy that I 1 LAKE Powell will not be drained II H more rain and snow fall it may be filled above the power pool poO level II H the rest of 1964 is very dry the lake Jake may fall lali in April and andin andin in late summer and fall lall Lake Powell is about feet leet deep at the dam The sides of the lake Jake are mostly steep or sheer walls of stone In April it will likely fall lall six or eight or even 15 feet But Dut In May 1 and June and into July it will rise by more than this amount In August and September it may fall lall again but under I no condition will it fall more than 50 30 feet leet The lake Jake will still be some feet leet deep at atthe atthe the dam the steep walls will present a deep shoreline the lake will be miles long Fishing and boating will both continue 2 FLAMING Gorge Reservoir Reser voir will not be drawn down It is comparatively small and with Navajo Reservoir will be kept up 3 The Central Utah Project will not be endangered nor will other Utah proJects AND SENATOR Moss emphasized em em- these facts First no electric generator is yet ready at Glen Canyon Dam The first generator is scheduled for completion in August after which it will have to be tested Sometime thereafter power can be generated gen gen- for sale I crated from Irom this ono one in the western states provided provid ed there is an adequate power head in the lake DURING the balance of the operating year ending in April two more generators are scheduled to go on the line But the maximum revenue reve reve- nue that can be produced is probably 1 million At Hoover Dam there are many generators They earn some a month To produce the million at Glen Canyon would lIkely cost the Upper Basin Fund 5 million TillS THIS IS the economic decision deci deci- slon sion laced faced by Secretary Udall II H he buys electric power for Cor the Lower Basin in order to keep more water in Lake Powell we may have to pate substantial amounts of the Basin Fund ly SECOND this is a dry year and last year was a adry adry dry year It now appears that we have had two dry years back to back and this has not I happened before Yet this tl S is 18 the very year we need more moisture to flU fill Lake Powell And this year points out our need for lor these huge storage stor stor- age reservoirs to catch and hold water In wet years so that we can weather through the dry years THIRD under the law and the Colorado River Compact the Upper Basin States must allow 75 million acre feet leet per year actually 75 million acre feet leet per ten years to flow down the river II If we have a adry a adry dry year we must provide that commitment from stora g e. e That is the problem this year we must release storage water wa wa- ter because our runoff run is Fourth crater criter I a were developed by Secretary Seaton under President Eisen hower This was reviewed and adopted by Secretary Udall under President Kennedy and was ratified by the governors gov gov- governors of the Upper Basin States Secretary Udall con tends s that he Is now following these criteria Perhaps they I should hould be changed but until they are and until alt all parties par par- ties tics agree the rules s which were established establish d must be fol lowed SEN MOSS 1 pointed out that it if April and May 1 are above average for lor moisture on the Colorado River Watershed the problem is solved II H not we must release some of our storage storage stor stor- age water this year but hope for lor more moisture next year he said |