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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I l.f",....' .. 000111.. ill AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEOUENCES A Affected Area The affected geographic area includes the mainstream of the LCR from the upper end of Lake Mead to Imperial Dam and those portions of the Lower Division States that may develop and/or use ICUA pursuant to a SIRA executed by the Secretary, The action area may be smaller when specific SIRA are submitted pursuant to the finalized Rule, (Figures 1 and 2), B. River Management Environment 1. River ODerations The Secretary, through Reclamation, operates the Colorado River in the Lower Basin, consistent with applicable criteria, including the BCP A, the Decree, and the "Criteria for Coordinated Long- Range Operation of the Colorado River Reservoirs Pursuant to the Colorado River Basin Project Act of September 30, 1968." In a nonnal year, 7,5 mafis available for consumptive use in the Lower Basin, divided as follows: 2,8 mafto Arizona, 4,4 mafto California, and 0,3 mafto Nevada, California's use has been exceeding its 4.4 mafbasic annual apportionment because the Secretary, in accordance with the Decree, has annually released for consumptive use within California the Colorado River water apportioned to but unused by Arizona and Nevada. However, this past use has not established any rights in the State of California to future use of water in excess of California's annual apportionment of4.4 maf Annual releases and diversions for the LCR are shown in Figure 3, Operating criteria for meeting water diversions and delivery requests are expected to remain the same on the LCR from Lake Mead to Mexico with and without the Rule, Nearly all of Nevada's consumptive use apportionment of300,000 affyr is diverted through the Saddle Island Intakes and pumping plants on Lake Mead into the SNWS which supplies the Las Vegas, Nevada area, Under the Rule, ICUA used by an authorized Nevada entity will be diverted through these existing SNWS facilities or existing facilities in the Laughlin, Nevada area, All deliveries for the CAP in Arizona are made through the CAP aqueduct system after diversion from Lake Havasu via the Havasu Pumping Plant upstream from Parker Dam. Under the Rule, water diverted and stored by Arizona for authorized entities in California or Nevada will be diverted through these existing facilities. Most of California's apportionment of Colorado River water is diverted from the mainstream at three main locations: 1) from Lake Havasu by MWD facilities into the Colorado River Aqueduct for use in southern California, 2) at the Palo Verde Diversion Dam into the Palo Verde Irrigation District system near Blythe, California, and 3) at Imperial Dam into the All American Canal, north of Yuma, Arizona, for use in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys in Southern California, II