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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />from those three dams for the month of November are 10,860, 10,760, and 6,550 cfs, respectively. <br />The October releases represent those needed to meet downstream water requirements. <br /> <br />The actual April through July 19?7 unregulated inflow to Lake Powell was 11.32 i maf,; <br />,which is 146 percent of the 30-year' average for the period 1961-1990. The actual wiregulated inflow' <br />to Lake Powell for the 1996-97 water year was 16.833 maf, of 144 percent of the 30-year average. <br />\ ' <br /> <br />The Lower Division States' estimated consumptive use of Colorado River water for calendar <br />year 1997, as estimated by Board staff, totals 8.378 maf and is projected as follows: Arizona, <br />2.871 maf; California, 5,251 maf; and, Nevada, 0.256 maf. Estimated additional unmeasured return <br />flow credits of 0.240 maf would reduce the total amount to 8.138 maf. For calendar year 1997, the <br />Central Arizona Project (CAP) is projected to divert 1.439 maf and The Metropolitan Water District <br />of Southern California (MWD) is projected to divert 1.251 maf. <br /> <br />The preliminary November I st estimate of the 1997 end-of-year California agricultural <br />consumptive use of Colorado River water under the first three priorities of the 1931 California Seven <br />Party Agreement is 3.941 maf. This estimate is based on the collective use through October 1997 <br />by the Palo Verde Irrigation District, the Yuma Project Reservation Division, the Imperial Irrigation <br />District, and the Coachella Valley Water District. Figure I, found at the end of this report, depicts <br />the monthly forecasts of end-of-year agricultural use since the beginning of the year. <br /> <br />Colorado River ODerations <br /> <br />On October 14th, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt transmitted the 1998 Annual <br />Operating Plan for the Colorado River Reservoirs (1998 AOP) to the seven governors of the <br />Colorado River Basin. He stated in his letter that based on "". I) the existing water supply <br />conditions in the basin, 2) the most probable near-term water supply conditions in the basin, and 3) <br />that the beneficial consumptive use requirements of Colorado River mainstream users in the Lower <br />Division States are expected to be more than 7.5 maf, the surplus condition is the criterion governing <br />the operation of Lake Mead ",and 1.7 mafwill be scheduled for delivery to Mexico...during calendar <br />year 1998." A copy of the transmittal letter is included in the Board folder. <br /> <br />During the first week of November the Agency Managers, along with representatives from <br />the other Colorado River Basin states. received a report from Reclamation entitled Lower Colorado <br />River Accounting System (LCRAS) Demonstration o/Technology and accompanying appendix, The <br />report purports that LCRAS is capable of calculating the consumptive uses for the Lower Basin states <br />to a higher level of accuracy than that of the current Decree Accounting Report method. As a matter <br />of fact, LCRAS has calculated the consumptive use for California to be between 40,000 and 340,000 <br />acre. feet higher than the 1995 Decree Accounting Report, Reclamation wants to assemble a <br />technical review committee to perfonn an evaluation of the process. A letter indicating a time, date. <br />and location of the meeting will be forthcoming from Reclamation. <br /> <br />Basin StateslTribes Discussion <br /> <br />2 <br />