 With little guidance on water allocation from the Supreme Court , proponents of the dam feared endless litigation . A Colorado attorney proposed that the seven states which fell within the river 's basin ( California , Nevada , Arizona , Utah , New Mexico , Colorado and Wyoming ) form an interstate compact , with the approval of Congress . Such compacts were authorized by Article I of the United States Constitution but had never been concluded among more than two states . In 1922 , representatives of seven states met with then @-@ Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover . Initial talks produced no result , but when the Supreme Court handed down the Wyoming v. Colorado decision undermining the claims of the upstream states , they became anxious to reach an agreement . The resulting Colorado River Compact was signed on November 24 , 1922 . 
 With little guidance on water allocation from the Supreme Court , proponents of the dam feared endless litigation . A Colorado attorney proposed that the seven states which fell within the river <a href='null_genetive' title='1'><mark>'s</mark></a>basin ( California , Nevada , Arizona , Utah , New Mexico , Colorado and Wyoming ) form an interstate compact , with the approval of Congress . Such compacts <a href='uninflect' title='2'><mark>were</mark></a> authorized by Article I of the United States Constitution but <a href='been_done' title='3'><mark>had</mark></a> never been concluded among more than two <a href='negative_concord' title='4'><mark>states</mark></a> . In 1922 , representatives of seven states met with then @-@ Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover . Initial talks produced no result , but when the Supreme Court handed down the Wyoming v. Colorado decision undermining the claims of the upstream states , they became anxious to reach an agreement . The resulting Colorado River Compact was signed on November 24 , 1922 . 
W lil guidance on water allocation from the Supreme Court , proponents of da dam feared endless litigation . A Colorado attorney proposed dat the seven states which fell within the river  basin ( California , Nevada , Arizona , Utah , New Mexico , Colorado and Wyoming ) form an interstate compact , with tdaapproval of Congress . Such compacts was authorized by Article I of the United States Constitution but done never been concluded among more than two no states . In 1922 , representatives of seven states met witwiden @-@ Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover . Initial talks produced no result , but when thdaupreme Court handed dwn thedaoming v. Colorado decision undermining the daims of the udaream states , they became anxious to reach an agreement . The resulting Colorado River Compact was signed on November 24 , 1922 .