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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I G, Elements of Off stream Storage Prol!:rams. and Aspects of the Prooosed Rule Relevant To NEPA Compliance The proposed rule will establish procedures for interstate contractual distribution and redemption of credits for Colorado River water stored off stream, These procedures will apply to all Lower Division States, However, the State with the greatest current potential for authorized entities to enter into interstate agreements for storage of Colorado River water off stream is Arizona, A WBA provisions, elements of other programs, and a number of aspects of the proposed rule are important to NEP A compliance because they contain known parameters upon which to focus impact analysis for affected resources or issues. Elements of the Arizona, Nevada, and California off stream storage programs relevant to NEPA impact analysis include: . As specified in its enabling legislation, Arizona unused entitlement may be stored by the AWBA only ifit would otherwise not have been used in the State of Arizona that year. This provision protects priorities and entitlements of Colorado River water in Arizona; . No more than a total of 100,000 afofstorage credits accrued in Arizona may be recovered for use in California and Nevada in any given year, This limit reflects Arizona's current capability to recover stored credits that would be used in the year they had to decrease their consumptive use of Colorado River water for the benefit of either California or Nevada, The diversion of this water into either California or Nevada would be approximately 1 % of the volume diverted to the Lower Division States and Mexico during a normal year; . Interstate recovery of storage credits in Arizona for California and Nevada will not be allowed in a shortage year. This provision protects water users in Arizona in case all recovery facilities are needed to satisfY their water requirements during water shortage periods; . The A WBA intends to use both direct underground storage and indirect storage, However, present indications are that indirect or in lieu storage will be used more often than direct underground storage; . AWBA water storage agreements shall not impede the ability of the CAWCD to meet the obligations of its CAP water service contracts and subcontracts. Sufficient water must be available each year to satisfY concurrent uses of CAP entitlement holders, including groundwater recharge, before water can be used by A WBA for off stream storage; . The A WBA may not own, develop, operate, or construct storage facilities, Instead, the A WBA is to take advantage of existing storage sites by contracting to reserve storage capacity at existing permitted facility(s), The AWBA has been charged with the duty to prepare and assess an inventory of existing storage facilities to determine whether they LC Region DEAl I 6 12/97