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<br />Coordinated Long-Range Operating Criteria for Colorado River Reservoirs
<br />
<br />Included in the Board folder are copies Reclamation's March 7, 2002, letter announcing an
<br />extension of the comment period on the Five-Year Review of the 1970 Criteria for Coordinated Long-
<br />Range Operation of Colorado River Reservoirs (Operating Criteria) along with the Federal Register
<br />Notices of January 15,2002, and March 6, 2002, regarding the initiation of the five-year review and the
<br />extension of the comment period, respectively, Since promulgation of the Operating Criteria in 1970, this
<br />will be the sixth review conducted, Previous reviews of the Operating Criteria have resulted in no changes,
<br />
<br />The Board prepared comments to revise the Operating Criteria and transmitted its comment letter,
<br />dated March 29,2002, to Mr. Robert W. Johnson, the Regional Director of the Lower Colorado Region
<br />of Reclamation. In its letter, the Board indicated that given the existence of the current Interim Surplus
<br />Guidelines that were adopted by the Secretary of the Interior in January 2001, there is not a need to revise
<br />the existing Operating Criteria. However, prior to 2016, the date that the Interim Surplus Guidelines are
<br />slated to terminate, the Board believes that various issues associated with the Operating Criteria need to
<br />be addressed by Reclamation and the Basin states. Attached to the Board's comment letter was a copy of
<br />its December 31, 1996, letter that listed a number of the issues that, in the opinion of the Board, need to
<br />be addressed. A copy of the Board's March 29th comment letter is contained in the handout material.
<br />
<br />The Board has received a March 27, 2002, comment letter from Colorado Water Conservation
<br />Board (CWCB) and an April 5, 2002, comment letter from Wyoming's Office of the Attorney General
<br />commenting on the Operating Criteria. In its March 27, 2002, letter, included in the Board folder, the
<br />CWCB stated that it is the position of the State of Colorado that there is no justification or reason to
<br />modifY the existing Operating Criteria at this time. However, the State of Colorado reserves its right to
<br />make additional comments, and to respond to the comments of others in the course of this review process.
<br />
<br />In Wyoming's AprilS, 2002, comment letter, Mr. Thomas Davidson, Wyoming Commissioner to
<br />Upper Colorado River Commission, stated that "changing the Long-Range Operating Criteria at this
<br />present juncture is neither necessary nor acceptable..." A copy of Wyoming state's letter is also included
<br />in handout material.
<br />
<br />The Board recently received letters from the remaining Basin states, International Boundary and
<br />Water Commission, National Park Service, Western Area Power Administration, Quechan Indian Tribe,
<br />Metropolitan Water District of Southern Califurnia, and the Irrigation and Electrical Districts Association
<br />of Arizona. Additionally, a joint letter prepared by the Sierra Club's Colorado River Task Force was
<br />submitted, as was a letter from a private citizen of the State of Colorado. Copies of all of the comment
<br />letters have been included in the handout materials.
<br />
<br />Quarterly Status Report of Pending Contracts
<br />
<br />Included in the Board folder is a copy of Reclamation's quarterly status report, dated March 29,
<br />2002, regarding pending or completed contract actions. Board staff notes Item No. 28, which executed
<br />the amendment of contract No. 14-20-650-631 with the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) to
<br />include additional lands on the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation that are located within CVWD's
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