Board Metting 01/23/2007

• Board Meeting Date: 1/23/2007
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Annual Operating Plan for Colorado River Reservoirs 2007: Secretary of Interior Kempthorne signed
the 2007 AOP on December 14,2006. The plan reflects reservoir operations consistent with the Criteria
for Coordinated Long-Range Operation of Colorado River Reservoirs Pursuant to the Colorado River
Basin Project Act of September 30, 1968. Under the most probable runoff conditions releases from Lake
Powell will be 8.23 MAF. Pursuant to the Interim Surplus Guidelines, the Partial Domestic Surplus
Condition would govern releases from Lake Mead; however, the Lower Basin States have only requested
releases to satisfy normal year demands.

Colorado River Accounting and Water Use Report-Arizona, California, and Nevada: We have
received the Decree Accounting of Lower Basin uses required by Article V of the Supreme Court Decree
in Arizona v California for calendar year 2005. Releases from Lake Mead were controlled by the ISG-
Partial Domestic Surplus Criterion. Although more water was available, the accounting shows that Lower
Basin uses were less than the Lower Basin's basic apportionment of7.5 MAF. Lower Colorado River
Basin State uses were reported as 7.146 MAF. The water accounting reports since 1964 can be found on
the internet at http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/wtracct.html.

Bureau Files Notice of Intent RE: Glen Canyon Dam and Other Associated Management Activities:
In a Federal Register notice published on November 6,2006 (71 FR 64982-64983), the Department of the
Interior (Department), acting through the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), provided notice that the
Department intends to prepare an EIS and conduct public scoping meetings for the adoption of a Long-
Term Experimental Plan for the operation of Glen Canyon Dam and other associated management
activities. This Federal Register notice, prepared pursuant to 40 CFR 1508.22, provides information on
additional public scoping meetings, the purpose and need for the proposed action, and additional
background on the Long-Term Experimental Plan.

The purpose ofthe Long-Term Experimental Plan is to increase understanding ofthe ecosystem
downstream from Glen Canyon Dam and to improve and protect important downstream resources. The
NEP A process would evaluate the implications and impacts of each of the alternatives on all of the
purposes and benefits of Glen Canyon Dam as well as on downstream resources. The proposed plan
would implement a structured, long-term program of experimentation (including dam operations,
modifications to Glen Canyon Dam intake structures, and other non-flow management actions, such as
removal of non-native fish species) and monitoring in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam.

The proposed Long-Term Experimental Plan is intended to ensure a continued, structured application of
adaptive management in such a manner as to protect, mitigate adverse impacts to, and improve the values
for which Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area were established,
including, but not limited to natural and cultural resources and visitor use, consistent with applicable
Federal law.

The Long-Term Experimental Plan will build on a decade of scientific experimentation and monitoring
that has taken place as part of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program, and will build on
the knowledge gained by experiments, operations, and management actions taken under the program.
Accordingly, Reclamation intends to tier from earlier NEPA compliance documents prepared as part of
the Department's Glen Canyon Adaptive Management Program efforts, see 40 CFR 1500.4(i), 1502.20,
and 1508.20(b), such as the 2002 Environmental Assessment prepared on adaptive management
experimental actions at Glen Canyon Dam (Proposed Experimental Releases from Glen Canyon Dam and
Removal of Non-Native Fish).

Dates and Addresses: Two additional public scoping meetings were held to solicit comments on the scope
of the Long-Term Experimental Plan and the issues and alternatives that should be analyzed. The
meetings served to expand upon the input received from the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management
Program meetings and the recommendations of the Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG), a

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