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<br />,; <br /> <br />CHAPTER I <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br /> <br />Backeround <br /> <br />The State of Colorado is currently addressing Colorado River issues on multiple fronts. <br />Within Colorado, through the Colorado Water for the 21st Century Act (HB 2005-1177 or HB-II77)\ <br />we are engaged in an ambitious effort to identify future water needs within each of the state's major <br />river drainage basins and develop consensus solutions to address those needs. <br /> <br />Under HB-1177, there are nine basin roundtables and an Interbasin Compact Commission <br />(IBCC). Each roundtable consists of representatives of counties, municipalities, water conservancy <br />districts, water conservation districts, special water districts, ditch and reservoir companies and the <br />environmental, sportsmen and recreation communities. The IBCC consists of two representatives <br />elected by each roundtable, six at-large members appointed by the Governor, a Director of Compact <br />Negotiations, also appointed by the Governor, and two legislative representatives, one each <br />appointed by the Chairs of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees. <br /> <br />HB-1177 allows individual roundtables to enter into intrastate compacts. These intrastate <br />compacts would be among two or more roundtables. The roles of the IBCC includes establishing <br />a common state-wide technical platform, establishing a positive environment that will encourage <br />negotiations among the individual roundtables and ratifying any intrastate compacts that are <br />ultimately negotiated. <br /> <br />On the interstate front, representatives of the State of Colorado and a coalition of its major <br />Colorado River water users are actively engaged with representatives of the other six Basin States <br />and the United State Department of the Interior to address a number of very difficult mainstem <br />Colorado River issues. On February 28, 2007, the Bureau of Reclamation issued a draft <br />environmental impact statement on alternative shortage criteria (Shortage Criteria DEIS)2 that will <br />be used to guide the operation of Lake Mead when water supply conditions are insufficient to meet <br />normal year apportionment of7.5 million acre feet per year for the Lower Basin States of California, <br />Nevada and Arizona. The Secretary of the Interior is scheduled to complete a record of decision by <br />the end of2007. <br /> <br />At the urging of the Secretary of the Interior, the Basin States (States) have negotiated an <br />umbrella agreement or understanding. The States' agreement includes proposed shortage criteria, <br /> <br />I CRS 37-75-101 through 106. <br /> <br />2USDOI, Draft EIS Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and <br />Lake Mead. <br /> <br />Page -1- <br />