WSP09857

• File Number: 8200.400
• Description: Colorado River Basin Briefing Documents-History-Correspondence
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 10/1/1999
• Author: DOI-BOR
• Title: Programmatic Environmental Assessment-Rulemaking-Offstream Storage Colorado River Water - Development-Release Intentionally Created Unused Apportionment - Lower Division States - Final-Appendices A-G
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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OQnGS

under negotiation (at that time) with a projected ultimate yield of29,915 aflyr, and five
additional projects under review with a projected ultimate yield of33,800 af/yr,
Together, these groundwater recovery projects would yield 81,754 af/yr for MWD's use
after full development of the required recharge/recovery facilities and when fully
operational, In 1999 MWD announced the development of the Cadiz and Hayfield ground
water storage projects that have the potential of storing over a million acre feet of
Colorado River water, The Rule allows authorized entities of any Lower Division State to
enter into a SIRA with authorized entities of another Lower Division State for the
off stream storage of Colorado River water and the development and release ofICUA as
long as the procedures in the Rule and applicable laws are followed, The Secretary would
be a party to the SIRA,

Aspects of the Rule relevant to NEP A impact analysis include the following:

. The Rule does not authorize the construction of any new delivery, storage, or water
treatment facilities. However, Reclamation will coordinate and consult with appropriate
Federal, State and other interested parties on a case-by-case basis to address any new
facilities and perform additional NEP A analysis as appropriate;

. The Secretary, through Reclamation, will operate the Colorado River within its current
and projected routine operations consistent with the provisions of the BCP A and the
Decree and other applicable laws and executive orders to permit authorized entities to
contractually store Colorado River water, develop ICUA and use or assign the ICUA to
other authorized entities;

. Unused basic apportionment or unused surplus apportionment stored off stream for
interstate purposes and the later release ofICUA to a consuming entity would be delivered
through existing facilities (Figure 3);

. The water diverted and stored off stream by a storing entity will be accounted for as being
consumptively used in that same year by the Storing State, in accordance with Article V of
the Decree;

. When a consuming entity requests development ofICUA by the storing entity, the ICUA
released will be accounted for as consumptive use of unused apportionment allocated in
that same year by the Consuming State, in accordance with Article V of the Decree; and

. The Secretary is responsible for ensuring Federal actions taken under the Rule (offstream
storage, and use or assignment ofICUA) comply with NEPA, ESA, and all other
applicable environmental laws, regulations, and executive orders, Authorized entities
seeking to enter into a SIRA may prepare the appropriate documentation and compliance
document for a proposed Federal action, such as execution of a proposed SIRA. Such
compliance documents must meet the standards set forth in Reclamation's NEPA
Handbook before they can be adopted, All costs incurred by the United States in

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