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<br />Deterinination of "602(a) Storage" <br /> <br />Section 602(a)(3) of the Colorado River Basin Project Act <br />of September 30, 1968 (Public Law 90-537), stipulates that <br />Colorado River water, which is not required to be released <br />under article III(c) and IIl(d) of the Colorado River <br />Compact, be stored in Upper Basin reservoirs to the extent <br />the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) fInds such storage <br />necessary to assure compact deliveries without impairment <br />of annual consumptive uses in the Upper Basin. <br /> <br />Article II of the Operating Criteria provides that the annual <br />plan of operation shall include a determination by the <br />Secretary of the quantity of water considered necessary to be <br />in Upper Basin storage as or September 30 or the. current <br />year. <br /> <br />This determination shall consider all applicable laws and <br />relevant factors including, but not limited to, the foUowing: <br />(a) historic stream flows; (b) the most critical period of <br />record; (c) probabilities of water supply; (d) estimated future <br />depletions in the Upper Basin, including the effects of <br />recurrence of critical periods of water supply; (e) the <br />"Report of the Committee on Probabilities and Test Studies <br />to the Task Force on Operating Criteria for the Colorado <br />River," dated October 30, 1969, and such additional studies <br />as the Secretary deems necessary; and (I) the necessity to <br />assure that Upper Basin consumptive uses are not impaired <br />because of failure to store sufficient water to assure <br />deliveries under Section 602(a)(I) and (2) of Public Law <br />90-537. <br /> <br />Taking into consideration these relevant factors, the <br />Secretary has determined that the active storage in Upper <br />Basin reservoirs forecast for September 30, 1996, exceeds the <br />"602(a) Storage" requirement under any reasonable range of <br />assumptions which might be applied to those items <br />previously listed. Therefore, the accumulation of "602(a) <br />Storage" is not the criterion governing the release of water <br />during the current year. <br /> <br />Mexican Treaty Obligations <br /> <br />Annual calendar year schedules of monthly deliveries of <br />water in the limitrophe section of the Colorado River, <br />allotted in accordance with the Mexican Water Treaty signed <br />in 1944, are formulated by the Mexican Section and <br />presented to the United States Section, International <br />Boundary and Water Commission (Commission), before the <br />beginning or each calendar year. Upon 30 days advance <br />notice to the United States Section, Mexico has the right to <br />modify, within the total schedule, any monthly quantity <br />prescribed by the schedule by not more than 20 percent. <br /> <br />Based on the current water supply conditions, the <br />United States will mal<e scheduled deliveries of 1,850 million <br />cubic meters (1,500,000 acre-feet) of Colorado River water <br />to the Republic of Mexico in calendar year 1996. <br />Representatives of the Republic of Mexico will be kept <br />informed of operating schedules through the United States <br />Section of the Commission. <br /> <br />3 <br />