The attached memorandum, “The Salt Water Problem of the Mexicali and San
Luis Valleys,” describes a problem which has arisen in connection with
our border treaty with Mexico of February 1944. I would appreciate it if
you would advise me whether or not the problem of undue salinity of the
water delivered has been called to the attention of the Department and
has been considered by the United States Government. If not, would you
take appropriate steps to consider whether or not this issue should be
raised with the appropriate U.S. authorities.
Attachment
Memorandum
“The Salt Water Problem of the
Mexicali and San Luis Valleys”
Under the Water Treaty between Mexico and the U.S. of February 1944,
Mexico is guaranteed annually 1½ million acre-feet of Colorado River
water—from all sources. In the past, the
dissolved salt content of the water delivered to Mexico has averaged
about 750 ppm (parts per million), and Mexicali and San Luis Valley
farmers have built up their farming practices and procedures based
on water of this quality.
The Water Treaty does not provide for a guarantee of water quality,
but “custom and usage,” plus that of treaty administration in the
“spirit of good will and friendly cooperation,” morally demand that
water of usable quality be delivered, if it is available, and this
has been done until fairly recently.
Recently, however, a sudden and abrupt change was made in the quality
of the water delivered to Mexico, this change having been
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brought
about by the pumping of drainage water or “waste” from the
Wellton-Mohawk Area of Arizona into the Gila River. This drainage
water, with 6,400 ppm or more of dissolved salts, flows down the
Gila to the Colorado, commingles with Colorado River water and then
flows on to Mexico. Please note the attached map showing location of
the Wellton-Mohawk Area and its nearness to the Colorado River and
to Mexico.
As a result of the above, Mexico is now receiving extremely poor
quality water (with 3,500 ppm or more of dissolved salts)—water that
is unsuitable for use on the “tight” soils of the Mexicali and San
Luis Valleys.
In a 1953 report issued by the Arizona Underground Water Commission,
an extract of same being attached, Nicholas A. Rose of Houston,
William Guyton of Austin and R. J. Tipton of Denver, nationally
known, reputable ground-water
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geologists forecast the cause and the source of the difficulty
resulting in the delivery of poor quality water to Mexico and, at
the same time, they also forecast the solution to
the difficulty.
The first forecast made by Messrs. Rose, Guyton and Tipton has now
been proven to be fully correct (the necessity of drainage pumping
in the Wellton-Mohawk Area), and it is reasonable to assume that
their second forecast is both sound and logical—that drainage water
pumped from drainage wells will improve, because of dilution with
good quality Colorado River water used in the Wellton-Mohawk Area,
until it becomes entirely suitable for irrigation purposes. When
this second forecast comes about, as it undoubtedly will, the
Mexicali-San Luis difficulty will come to an end.
In the meantime, however, some 400,000 acres or more of Mexicali-San
Luis farmland is being injured and a very large number of owners
unnecessarily penalized for the benefit of a limited number of
owners of some 75,000 acres in the Wellton-Mohawk Area.
The Bureau of Reclamation of the U.S. Department of Interior, the
agency responsible for the Wellton-Mohawk drainage pumping, may be
within its legal rights in pumping drainage waste into the bed of
the Gila River even if it knows that such “waste” will end up on
Mexican farmland; however, it is morally wrong and it is not being a
good neighbor by throwing its waste over
its fence onto its neighbor’s property.
The Bureau of Reclamation had ample notice and warning of the
forthcoming necessity of drainage pumping in the Wellton-Mohawk
Area, and had it commenced the solution to this particular
reclamation project some years ago, it could have been easily worked
out to the best interests of all concerned. A reclamation problem is
not solved by merely moving it from one location to another.
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If there is an urge and desire to do so, this problem and difficulty
can still be solved without serious damage or injury to either
party.
