ECHO PARK DAM TRUTHS Echo Park Dam Is Not Invasion. The building of Echo Park Dam in Dinosaur National Monument oes not create a precedent, nor is it an invasion of our National Park system. In the discussions of building th e proposed Echo Park Dam many part-truths, half-truths, and deliberate stretching of the truth have been heard. To clarify the record the following circumstances are enumer­ ated which definitely establish rights for Power and Irrigation projects wjthin th� Dinosaur National Monument. 1904 Brown's Park reservoir site surveyed. Lands withdrawn for Brown's Park or the Green River project October 17, 1904. 1906 Act of Congress providing authority of the President to establish National Monuments. 19Cf7 Brown's Park dam site drilled by Burea of Reclamation. and Total cost to the Bureau of R8clrunation $43,000. 1908 1910 First surveys of Split Mountain dam site by Nile Hughel and J. H. Ratliff. 1915 Presidential orocl�.mation establishing Dinosaur National Monument, totaling 80 acres. 1916 Act creating National Park Service. 1920 Federal Water and Power Act. Provided for creation of the Federal Power Commission to make possible orderly devel­ opment of water rower. Authorization for Federal Fewer Commission to issue licenses for construction of dams upon any pa.rt of the public land and reservation. 1921 Amendment to the Water and P<l'fer Act providing for no authorization of dams or r�servoirs within the limits �s now constit�ted of any National Park or National Monument without the specific authority of Congr�ss. The Dinosaur National Monument as it �.xisted, or was then constituted in 1921, was comprised of a total of 80 acres of land. 1922 The Colorado River Compact signed. 1922 Gr �en and Yampa rivcr propoSl)d projects surv�yed b" tho United States Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Power and Light Company. -2- 1923 Split ifountain dam site surveyed by J . H. Ratliff, Nile Hughel, and J . Gould . Tentative plans prepared for a pow\...r and irrigation project. 1930 United States Geological Survey Water Supply Paper #618 publish0d showing proposed pro,"ects and work accomplisried to that date and incl11des the Echo Park Dam (description and pro"'osed devclopmunt), Split Mountain, Brown's Park, and the Ratliff project . 1930 Ecrio Park D"lffi r,.1cor-ir,,mch:id to r<=l1l"cc BrJwn's Pare<: project b• th0 United '"'t:3.tos Geo logical Surv0y . 1934 Letter from thL! Natio'1al Park 3crvice to the Federal Powvr Commission askinf the Fod0ral Powur Com· ission to r<Jlease tho powt:..r filings in the canyon area as the NaU onal 1'onu­ m\...nt 1.;xt0nsion was being contcmplat0d by the Park Service . Letter bp~cifically refers to the Echo Park Dam and the Blu,.; Canyon Dam, now called Snlit Mountain . 1934 Letter from the FodE;,ral Power Commission to the Nntional I'ark '.:"2·vico in rcp]y to previous letter drawing attention to th8 potential poi·-.,r cv1.;lormcnt within th1.; canyons of th,.; Groen River, specifically r1..forring to th\... ~,cho Park sit1.. and the Blue lfountain site: 11 The sit0s w'-' are crm sider­ inr- an important links in any g0ncraJ plan of d0vclo m,mt of thes1., str,.;;:,ms ., •••.•• th-, Commission bcli1.,ves that the public intcr'"'st in this major power rosourc\... i:., too rreat to permit its impairment by voluntary rvlinquishmcnt of two units in th'"' c vntcr of th~ schcmo . Th,, Commission will not objl-ct, howover, to the cr ... ·ation of trio monument if the proclamatior cont'"l.ins a sol-cific provision that power developm\...nt und1.,r th8 provisi ors of tho Fedt..ral Water Fower Act will be pcrmittod. 11 1936 AmC;ndmcnt to the Federal 'later Power Act to clarify portions of th\... act . The conclusion drm·m is that the Dinosaur National Mornunent as c..yi sting in 1035 has at no tjmc:: been wit.bin tho restrictiors of th"' 1921 Act and tht., Act as rt..dcfin0d in 1935. 1936 LJtt0r from Scc1·otary of th,., Intc d 0~· Ickes to th\. Federal I ow"r Corrrnission 1.sking for th'" L'eL.aJ, of the pm ,er w.Lthdrawals existing in th, iropos ... d monwncnt area. 1936 Lott\,.;r from the FGdorn.l Fower Commission in r"ply to the, S,Jcr\...tary of th\... Intcri,Jr nointing out that tht- Com­ mission f1..lt at that tim1.. that th\... public inter~st in this major power r1..:.,ourcc waJ too p-r"at. to pvrmit its impairrnvnt by voluntary r\...J inr ..1ishmcnt of t,,-J uni L, in thl- ('enter of tho pm,,r"r devGlopmt.nt sc~1e 10 . The Commission also stated -3- that it would not obj -ct to the creation of the monument if bhc proclcJ.mation contain.Jct a specific provision thc1.t power d evulorimL-nt under the provisions of the Federal Water Fower Act would be permitted . 1936 Loctings held in Vernal, Utah , and Craig, Colorado, by Davjd H. Mads .... n , an employcu of the National Park Service being the Superintendent of th" Dinosaur National Monum"nt. At thoso m()otings Nr. M"ldsen st...,ted th.'.lt he h;:i.d b"'cm ::iutho­ riz'"'d as c'.l r .... pre,sent<1.tivL of tho N;:i.tionn.l Par1-: Service to tell the pco;.ilc of this a.re;n. that grA.zing on the proposed cnlart31.;d monument would not be discontinued 8.nd that r:,owc..r -ind irrir··R. tion r ir:ht s would not be i nterfc..r1-d with . 1938 Lcttor from 0~nctor Kinr of Utah to the Acting Director of the N:->.tional Park 3 .... rvicc rcqu...;sting t h-i.t power and irriga­ tion rights be protected in the proclamPtion. 1938 Dinosaur t.1...,tion,:.l Honmncnt cnlarfcd from 80 acres to anprox­ ime.tdy ?00,000 ;-:,cr8s by President Frc1nklin D. Roosevelt . Procl· rn:~tion atipu.latod th·1t tho momun .nt was "subj1;::ct to al] v: lid ezistine ri~hts" c1nd tb~,t "e... cept that this rc..30rvation sh::'.1.1 not aff1;;ct tho opvration of the FL:dcral W tor ?owor Act of ,Jun0 10, 1920 (41 Stat . 1063), 'lS .,_Nondcd , ;rnd th" administr:->tion of the monUJ11 .mt sh...,11 be subj .... ct to th<.. '1oclam--:i.t:ion 1:ithdrawal of Uctobc:r 17, 1904, fo-r tho Brown I s Park R,.s-rvoir Sit; in cvnn,.,ction with the f'recn Riv"r oroj .... ct. 11 1938 Articks in thr .... L issu.cs of the Vernal Exnruss. The three i~>SUL'S wcr .... July 21, July ?8, and A: ust 4, All three articles w,·-re r .... ports on the c..nlarmcnt of Dino:nur J\Jatj onal Honumc.,nt and 3pecifically rc.:fc.,:rrcd to guarantees that power and water dcvLlo· m-..;nt :.nd gr'"'zinr would be pt-rmitt•.;d in th...: monumunt . 1938 Ar iclo in th0 S·ilt Lak .... Tribun: , July 29, r eporting on the '"'nl:.rgr:1<. .. nt of Dinosu.ur N3.tion2.l ~onu.'1'-'nt and again comm ,mt­ irw on rc:cl::-i_m~tion pro,i .... ctt~ 11Ld r r..-zing riethts within tho cnl·~rg ... d rnonJJ!lcnt ar01. Thi::. articl0 w.:i.s r .... poct,.,d direct fro111 1,;'tshin,-ton, D. C. 19;8 Monument cnlcr,r-m.... nt '-'ctiv.... ly sponsorsd ·J.nd supnortod by loec1l grol.11_"'S in Colorado anl Utc~h after ass1 r :rnc()s from gov,,rnm--nt officials that rc..cb.rnc!.tion arnl grazin.1s rights wouJ~ b .... vrotc.. ctcd , 1939 St:,te of Utah .1.µpropriat(:)d ,62 ,50() 1:1c1..tcJ.-iing Burc..c1u of ttcclAI'.lc1tion funds for st1.,dil.. s "nd investigations in Din­ osaur Ma!Jionnl Momun1.,nt nnd oth....r' ar .... as ad,iaCl,nt . 1939 Colorado River Gr-. .. at Basin Water Users Association m;:ide filings for water and power purposes on the Grum River . -4- Two of the:sc fi_lings covered pro,i0cts within the confines of Dinosaur National Monument . ~2 ,000 was paid to the State Utah for thosv filings, and they ar~ still on rucord in tho Stat(.; ~npinvvr 1 s office , St~t~ C~pitol Building, S~lt Lake City, Utah. 1943 A survey of thl, rvcron.tional resources of tho Colorado Ri V·-r Basin was mA.du by Frcd.._;rick Law Olmstvad and others at tho request of tho S,_ crc t;,,ry of thl, Dcpartm,,nt of Interior. Th.J rl-port stc>tcs: 11 •••• it cannot be don:i-.;d thri..t if the ar0a. L , d.Jlihl.ratoly made a 1multiplv- USv I area, for pow'-r ctcv,.lo:--m,...nts plus any r\..,crl,.'J.tional valu'-'s compatiblv thl,ro­ with, ::-. PTvc>t m!lny no~u people can and will duriv,J pl·~Jsurc and inspirat Lon of a 1-iirh order from tr2.'!S.:Tsing thu c:=myon of Loclorv in bo~ ts on 1 fjordlil<'o lak thnn \vould e ven be abL to s~c it all jn a moro pcrfoctly n~,.tural st1.tv by shoot.Lng its danfl,rous rc'q. iris iri boat.; or by followinc th·. 25 r1ill,s or mon: of mrrow trail tlnt micht with d:iffi­ culty bo cor trivcd to t r c1vcrso it with cut m 1ch scarring of r.,_turci.l cwdit_iu:-s . " •.•• It is not 'W uniqul, and pr.:cio11s for sch ~Lrposos (in 1hc sunso th2t :Jon National Park is, :for :;::.;;:r:1pl1.,) , :1y,d the sci,.;nic, rccr1.,at.:.o,1al wd r0l 0 t1,.; d vc:.luos whi.sh it would hav.