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<br />EXECUTIVE SUMMARY <br /> <br />COLORADO RIVER <br />ALTERNATIVE OPERATING STRATEGIES <br />FOR DISTRIBUTING SURPLUS WATER <br />AND AVOIDING SPILLS. <br /> <br />Introduction <br /> <br />In 1983, an unpredictable and unusually heavy snow accumulation during <br />May brought a near normal March 1 snowpack to far above normal by <br />June 1. Although the reservoirs were operated in accordance with the <br />Criteria for Coordinated Long-Range Operation of the Colorado River <br />Reservoirs (the "Operating Criteria"), floodin9 occurred downstream <br />of Lake Mead. The Acting Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation <br />authorized an evaluation of the potential operating strategies for the <br />Colorado River. This executive summary is an overview of that evaluation. <br /> <br />Background <br /> <br />The Colorado River Basin is one of the most operationally complex <br />river systems in the world. The total storage capacity (approximately <br />60 million acre-feet) is about four times the average annual natural <br />flow at Lees Ferry, Arizona (located about 15 miles downstream from <br />Glen Canyon Dam). With the existing storage and regulatory struc- <br />tures, managers of the Colorado River are able to provide flood <br />control in the Lower Basin and a dependable irrigation, municipal, and <br />industrial water supply to the seven Colorado River Basin States and <br />the Republic of Mexico. In addition, powerplants at Federal facili- <br />ties in the Colorado River Basin provide over 10,000 GWH/yr <br />(gigawatt-hours per year) of hydroelectric generation. <br /> <br />The "Law of the River," a series of treaties, compacts, laws, and <br />regulations, recognizes that competing priorities are served by the <br />river system and distributes the system's water supply among the seven <br />Basin States and Mexico. These include the Colorado River Compact <br />that specifies that at least 75 million acre-feet of water over each <br />consecutive 10-year period must be delivered to the Lower Basin. The <br />Mexican Water Treaty stipulates an annual delivery of 1.5 million <br />acre-feet from the United States to Mexico. Finally, the Operating <br />Criteria are the operating guidelines used to comply with all com- <br />pacts, legislation, and judicial decrees concerning the Colorado River. <br /> <br />· For purposes of this study, surplus releases are defined as <br />releases in excess of the scheduled minimum releases, and spills <br />are defined as releases that cannot be utilized for project pur- <br />poses. <br /> <br />I <br />