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Las Vegas Morning Sun—^pril 27, 1951 Water District Seeks Contract From River Commission at' Meeting Today The Colorado River Commission will meet this moirning at the Basic Magnseium plant, and will be requested to join the Las Vegas Valley Water’ District in a request that the entire water facilities of the plant be turned over to the aifetrict at a “fair price ” ~ — The proposal asks that the ? ‘ 1 “ state agency make joint appli­cation with the water district to the Federal General Services Ad­ministration, for the district to assume operation and control of the Lake Mead-Henderson lines and storage facilities. In return for the “fair” price set on the utility system, the government would be expected to reduce Ne­vada’s obligation fo r the plant by that figure. The proposal would require the water district to serve the Hen­derson area at cost, to reserve water for Nellis Air Base, and to construct certain additions to the waterworks system. The plan will be submitted as an alternate to a request for two contracts with the CRC for the purchase of 43,000 acre-feet of water annually, at 55 cents per acre-foot, for a period of 40 years. The request points out that the proposal “is substantially simi­lar to end identical in many re­spects with other contracts of a similar nature executed by the commission.” The companion contract will be submitted calling for the con­veyance of not more than 10,000,- 000 gallons j of water daily from the CRC tq the district, under which the district will agree to construct a third reservoir, in addition to two now existing in Henderson. The contracts are to be sub­mitted in separate forms, it was explained, because the commis­sion must act in a dual capacity by law; first as a seller of water under the 1935 act creating the commission, and secondly, as an operator of a water transmission line under the 1947 act authoriz­ing the CRC to acquire the Basic Magnesium plant. The accompanying letter tdTMtr CRC states that water supply is a common problem, requiring a common solution, which “can best be solved by placing the respon­sibility for, and ownership of, all water supply and distribution fa­cilities in a single regional agency specifically created for that task, and at the earliest possible time.” It is pointed out to the River Commsision that in preparing the contracts for the CRC, the district has proceeded in accordance with ^directions of the cmomission. I The agenda of the CRC today- | calls for the entire morning ses­sion to be given oyer to discus- | sion of the water district agre_e-ment. The afternoon, session will] be devoted to plant matters con-, cerning the lessees, and other plant problems. Saturday morning, starting at 9 a. m., the explosive townsite housing issue will be considered again. In the afternoon, the num­erous power problems concerned in the taking over of all power distribution by the CRC on June 1 will be discussed by A. J.