§1513 — Title 43 Public Lands | U.S. Code

Summary

If the Secretary plans to bring water into the Colorado River system from outside its natural drainage, the Secretary must protect the states and local areas where the water comes from. The law requires fair protection and help, including money from funds in this law, so those places still have enough water for their needs at prices not hurt by the exported water. Any state that lies partly or wholly in a river basin losing water this way keeps the first and permanent right to use that basin’s water for any purpose now and in the future, unless the states agree otherwise.

Title 43, §1513

Public Lands — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In the event that the Secretary shall, pursuant to section 1511 of this title, plan works to import water into the Colorado River system from sources outside the natural drainage areas of the system, he shall make provision for adequate and equitable protection of the interests of the States and areas of origin, including assistance from funds specified in this chapter, to the end that water supplies may be available for use in such States and areas of origin adequate to satisfy their ultimate requirements at prices to users not adversely affected by the exportation of water to the Colorado River system.

(b)All requirements, present or future, for water within any State lying wholly or in part within the drainage area of any river basin from which water is exported by works planned pursuant to this chapter shall have a priority of right in perpetuity to the use of the waters of that river basin, for all purposes, as against the uses of the water delivered by means of such exportation works, unless otherwise provided by interstate agreement.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 90–537, Sept. 30, 1968, 82 Stat. 885, known as the Colorado River Basin Project Act, which enacted this chapter and section 616aa–1, 620a–1, 620a–2, 620c–1, and 620d–1 of this title, amended section 616hh, 620, and 620a of this title, and enacted provisions set out as notes under section 620, 620k, and 1501 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out below and Tables.

§1513 Importation of water; protection of exporting areas