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r- an OJ .-I o C cies; made field inspection trips to the Colorado River; and reviewed pertinent re- ports of the Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, and other agencies. On November 18, 1969, the task force sub- mitted a draft report entitled "Recommend- ed State Policy on the Lower Colorado River Management Program" to Secretary Liver- more for his consideration. At the close of 1969, the task force's draft report was being reviewed by all concerned State agencies. Yuma Division Report. The final re- port of the Bureau of Reclamation entitled "Report on Comprehensive River Manage- ment Plan, Lower Colorado River, Yuma Division," dated May 1969, was approved on August 15, 1969. With only minor changes to reflect review comments, the final report re- mains essentially the same as the original draft dated April 1966. The plan provides for dredging of 17.4 miles of river channel from Laguna Dam to a point about two miles above Morelos Dam and for clearing of phreatophyte growth to maintain flood capacity between existing levees. Of the total construction cost of $4,681,000, about 33 percent is proposed for fish and wildlife and recreation purposes. This is the largest percentage for these purposes that has been proposed for any division in the Lower Colorado River Management Plan. The plan does not include some of the off-channel water areas proposed by the Lower Colorado River Land Use Office because they would result in a consumptive use of water for which there is no authorized entitlement. The report states that the State of Arizona can request that a portion of its Colorado River water entitlement be set aside to meet these consumptive uses; then, if the Secretary of the Interior concurs, the extra features could be incorporated into the plan. Howev- er, the report also states that until augmenta- tion of the river is achieved from other sources, efforts must be made to achieve even better use of water than previously planned and that recreation needs may have to be met 34 with less elaborate installations than those heretofore proposed. Parker Division Report. Also during the year, the Bureau of Reclamation's final report on the Parker Division was approved on September 19, 1969. The report, dated March 1969, presents a plan for stabilization and control of 32.4 miles of Colorado River Channel from Parker, Arizona, to a point about 3 miles above Palo Verde Diversion Dam. The upper 14 miles of the channel im- provement work has already been completed because of the greater urgency of the work caused by river front development on the Colorado River Indian Reservation. In the lower portion of the Parker Division, the channel will be improved by excavation and realignment; however, this work has been temporarily deferred because of the un- resolved status of the claims by the Colorado River Indian Tribes for lands in the lower 15 miles of the designed channel and the desire of the Indians to avoid construction which may influence the adjudication of title claims. The work proposed in the Parker Division will include improvement of about 600 acres of open water in abandoned oxbows and off- channel backbays for fishing and recreation. About 22 percent of the estimated project cost of $11,869,000 will be for fish and wild- life and recreational features. Not all of the recreation-oriented features proposed by the Lower Colorado River Land Use Office were incorporated into the comprehensive plan re- port because of the unavailability of water for the proposed increased water surface areas. The Bureau report states that the chan- nelization work will salvage 24,200 acre-feet of water annually and reduce the sediment transported by the river by 788,400 tons per year. Reduction of the amount of sediment arriving at Imperial Dam will produce the dual benefits of: extending the life of the Im- perial backwater lakes, which are important fish and wildlife and recreational resources, and reducing the quantity of sediment that must be handled at the Imperial Dam Desilt- ing Works.