WSPC12491 ‎(2)‎

• File Number: 8220.101.10
• Description: Colorado River Water Projects - Glen Canyon Dam-Lake Powell - Adaptive Management
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 10/13/1998
• Author: AZ-CO-NV-NM-UT-WY
• Title: Proposal for Interim Lake Mead Reservoir Operation Guidelines Related to Surplus-Normal-and Shortage Year Declarations - Six State Proposal - Straw Man Drafts - 10-13-98 and 11-04-98
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

OCT-16-98 FRI 11:10 UPPER COLORADO RIVER COMM

P.16

Oil3237

Six State Proposal
Straw Man Draft
October 13, 1998

The Corps has defined specific volumes of storage space that must be left vacant

during certain months of the year depending on forecast volumes to accommodate spring

runoff or other unanticipated weather events. They have also mandated specific release

rates by month to achieve these vacant storage spaces. In order to avoid the "dumping"

of water in order to build storage space, provisions will be made which would allow the

Lower Basin States to schedule additional water for delivery. The volume of extra water

available for delivery is equal to the amount that must be evacuated from storage, above

regularly scheduled downstream demands, to meet the-space requirements. Under some

conditionst ,such as when the reservoirs are starting the year very full and when the

forecast runoff is above average, the amount of flood control release could be several

million acre feet. Under other circumstances, the space building fonnula may be such

that only small volumes of water would need to be evacuated. Howevert since flood

control related releases are generally associated with very full reservoir conditions, the

Six State proposal would allow any and all beneficial usest including unlimited off stream

groundwater banking and additional water for Mexicot to be met.

V. Shortace-.DeterllJinatioD Criteria

The Six States believe that considering current reservoir conditions and current demands,

with prudent system management, the Secretary of the Interior should not have to declare a

shortage condition for many years. Even with this recognition, the Six States believe that the

establishment of shortage criteria that work in conjunction with the surplus criteria is valuable for

IS