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Agenda Item 18 May 22-23, 2007 Board Meeting Page 8 of 10 WHEREAS, the 1988 Hydrologic Detennination evaluated the availability of water from the Navajo Reservoir supply for uses in New Mexico through the 2040 planning horizon; and . WHEREAS, an update and extension to the 1988 Hydrologic Detennination is needed to evaluate the availability of wkter from the Navajo Reservoir supply through a 2060 planning horizon under the allocation of water made to the State of New Mexico by the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact for the purpose of furthering Congressional legislative approval of the Settlement: Agreement, the authorization of the proposed Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project,' and the legislative approval of the proposed Settlement Contract for the Navajo Nation's project uses in New Mexico; and WHEREAS, the proposed Settlement Contract between the United States and the Navajo Nation would provide water soppIies for Navajo Nation uses in New Mexico under both the Navajo-Gallup Water ~upply Project and the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project which was authorized by Publi~ Law 87-483, and would supersede the existing Navajo Reservoir water supply contract for the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project; and WHEREAS, the US Bureau of Reclamation has presented to the Upper Colorado River Commission for its consideratiori a draft hydrologic detennination, dated May 2006, that evaluates the availability of ~ater from the Navajo Reservoir supply through 2060 and shows: (I) at least 5.76 mil,lion acre-feet of water is reasonably available annually for use by the Upper Basin, exClusive of reservoir evaporation at Lake Powell, Flaming Gorge Reservoir and the Aspinall Unit reservoirs of the Colorado River Storage Project; and (2) sufficient water is re~nably likely to be available from the Navajo Reservoir supply to fulfill the proposed Settlement Contract for the Navajo Nation's uses in New Mexico under the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project and the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, in addition to existing Navajo Reservoir water supply contracts for other uses, under the allocations made to New Mexico in Articles III and XIV of the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact; mid WHEREAS, the Settlement Agreement would provide at subparagraph 9.3.1: "The Navajo Nation and the United States agree that the State of New Mexico may administer in priority water rights in the ~an Juan River Basin in New Mexico, including rights of the Navajo Nation, as may be' necessary for New Mexico to comply with its obligations under interstate compacts and, other applicable law"; and WHEREAS, the Upper Colorado River Commission supports water resource development in the Upper Colorado River Basin to enable the Upper Division States to fully develop their compact apportionments of Colorado River water while meeting compact obligations relating to the flow of the Colorado River at Lee Ferry; and WHEREAS, it is the position of the Upper Colorado River Commission and the Upper Division States that, with the deIiv~ry at Lee Ferry of 75 million acre-feet of water in each period of ten consecutive years, tpe water supply available in the Colorado River , 2 I Flood Protection. Water Project Planning andlFinance. Stream and Lake Protection Water Supply Protection. C9nservation Planning ,U. .. .. ... . . .