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[Don Bowen <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>]

At 11/2/2006, you wrote:
> As usual, being downstream sucks. Seven states get Colorado River
> water under the Compact signed in 1922. Mexico doesn't have the power
> to take the water that rightfully should still flow to it as it did
> for thousands of years. The law of prior appropriation ends at the
> border. The problem was, is, and will continue to be California.

The water allocation is based on maximum flows during flood season.  Since 
the measurements were taken, several other dams have been built such as 
Glen canyon.  Dams reduce the total amount of water available by two 
mechanisms, one is evaporation over that huge surface area and another is 
that many of the smaller dams impound water for local use.  Throw in 
several lawsuits that have given more water to local indian tribes and you 
can see that the total available is much less than allocated.

Much of the California water goes to Los Angles with some to San Diego and 
other cities.  The remainder goes to those nice winter vegetables you see 
in the grocery store.  San Diego is paying irrigation districts to line the 
irrigation ditches with concrete then taking what they claim was 
seepage.  They also pay farmers to use more water efficient irrigation 
methods and take what was saved.

An unintended consequence is that seepage water no longer flows into the 
Salton Sea.  The Salton Sea was formed when an irrigation canal broke in 
1903 and in maintained by seepage and runoff from the many irrigated 
fields.  Now there are lawsuits about that.  A recent study looked at 
various options including letting the Salton Sea run dry.  The problem here 
is that it has become a very important stopover for migratory water fowl 
even tough its saline content can kill.

Now about that water flowing accross the border.  Again treaties and legal 
judgements have forced the US to allow more water to flow.  It soon became 
a brackish wash of polluted water so instead of further reducing the flow 
to cities and farmers, the US built a very expensive desalination plant.


Don Bowen              Awl Knotted Up                       KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com
My travel journal
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html

I am omnivagant.  
> From genegerue AT ruralize.com  Thu Nov  2 17:26:12 2006
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Subject: [Homestead] Water out West
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> They also pay farmers to use more water efficient irrigation
> methods and take what was saved.

Farmers have done well. Some in the central valley no longer farm, 
just sell their water rights to cities. Why work? If memory serves, 
the original Colorado River Compact was based on the amount of 
irrigable land for agriculture. People had no idea in 1922 that 
population would grow to such immense numbers.

The story of the Compact is a lesson. The original negotiators 
managed to get an agreement through reasonable negotiation without 
the usual lawsuit process. Later, Arizona and California brought 
big-time lawyers and the federal courts into their dispute. We all 
know where that leads.