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<br />002240 <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />"offstream Storage of Colorado River Water and Redemption of Storage Credits in the Lower <br />Division States." Reclamation is now considering the comments that were received and making <br />necessary revisions to the proposed Rule. At this time, no decision has been made by Reclamation <br />whether to revise its process and schedule for finalizing the Rule based on the comments that were <br />received or to stick to its original process and schedule. If Reclamation sticks to its original <br />schedule, the Board will not have an opportunity to provide comments on any of the revisions to the <br />proposed Rule before it is published as a final Rule and sent to the Congress in June 1998. <br /> <br />Basin StatesfTribes Discussion <br /> <br />While the Colorado River Board's 4.4 Plan is still in the development phase, a vital <br />component of the Plan has moved one step closer to fruition. Included in the Board folder are two <br />news releases, the first from the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCW A) and the second from <br />the lID, announcing the signing of a "water conservation and transfer agreement", allowing the <br />SDCW A to receive up to 200,000 acre-feet of conserved water per year from the lID once the <br />agreement is fully implemented. <br /> <br />Progress on other elements of the Plan is being achieved. Mr. David Kennedy is continuing <br />to meet with the individual agencies to address the "wheeling" issues between SDCW A and MWD, <br />as well as, the issues between CVWD and lID associated with "administration of the third priority". <br />The enhanced water supply programs identified in the December I rn draft of the 4.4 Plan are being <br />expanded to include additional opportunities and to be more fully defined. Meetings with and <br />between the state and federal regulatory agencies (the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the State <br />Water Resources Control Board) are being held to coordinate their respective responsibilities related <br />to reasonable, beneficial consumptive use determinations. <br /> <br />For your information, I have included in the Board folder a copy of the Arizona Water <br />Banking Authority's monthly report listing its recent developments and upcoming issues. Most <br />notable to the Board members is the page entitled 1998 Plan of Opera lion. These four graphs <br />compare the amount of Colorado River water actually banked in the Phoenix, Tucson, and Pinal <br />Active Management Areas verses the planned quantity. To date the actual water banked in each area <br />is below the quantity planned to be banked <br /> <br />Everyone is aware of the growth that has been taking place in Clark County, Nevada and the <br />forecasts for its continued growth into the future. Since Nevada is currently using approximately <br />240,000 acre-feet of its 300,000 acre-feet apportionment from the Colorado River and expects to use <br />its entire apportionment by 2006, it has begun looking to other sources of supply. Included in the <br />Board folder is a copy of a news article from the Las Vegas Review-Joumal which discusses the <br />purchase by the Southern Nevada Water Authority of 7,500 acre-feet of groundwater from the <br />Coyote Spring Valley located along the northern boundary of Clark County. <br /> <br />3 <br />