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Assessment. "Experiments such as this high-flow test continue to advance our understanding of the ecosystem while providing tangible benefits to the fishery, river environment, and recreational users in Grand Canyon National Park." In August 2004, members of the Glen Canyon Adaptive Management Work Group recommended to Secretary Norton that high-flow tests be considered for later in the year if sufficient accumulations of sediment were present in the Colorado River near the confluence of the Paria River. In October, the Grand Canyon area experienced significant rainstorms that produced Paria River sediment inputs sufficient to trigger such a test. The primary purposes for conducting the high-flow tests are to restore sandbar deposits in the upper reaches of the Grand Canyon and recreate numerous backwater channels that serve as prime spawning areas and habitat for the humpback chub and other native fish species. The Draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment is available for public review on the Internet by following the link at www.usbr.gov/uc/envdocs/eaJgc/SuppEA-ltr.pdf The high-flow test would not alter the total volume of water released from Lake Powell in water year 2005. Upper Colorado River Basin Hydrology Water year 2005 began on October 1, 2004. The Colorado River Basin has now completed 5 consecutive years of drought. In the summer of 1999 Lake Powell was essentially full, with reservoir storage at 97 percent of capacity. Since that time, inflow volumes have been below average for 5 consecutive years. The last month when inflow to Lake Powell was above average was September 1999. Total unregulated inflow to Lake Powell in water year 2004 was only 51 percent of average. Unregulated inflow in water years 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 was 62, 59, 25, and 51 percent of average, respectively. Inflow in water year 2002 was the lowest ever observed since the completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. A favorable trend has emerged the past two months in the Colorado River Basin. Precipitation in September and October was above average in the basin. Basin wide precipitation in September was 165 percent of average, with October precipitation at 155 percent of average. In October, the highest proportion of the precipitation occurred in Utah, with many areas in Utah receiving over 200 percent of average precipitation. October precipitation in western Colorado was near average. Inflow to Lake Powell, which was extremely low this past summer (only 35 and 29 percent of average in July and August, respectively), has picked up in response to the storms of the past two months. Unregulated inflow to Lake Powell in September was 68 percent of average and 92 percent of average in October. As of November 7, 2004, observed inflow to Lake Powell was 8,000 cfs, 78 percent of what is normally seen in early November. The reality, however, is that we are still very early in water year 2005, and drought conditions continue to prevail in the Colorado River Basin. To "break" the drought will require the pattern of above-average precipitation to continue through the winter and into next spring. Water year 2005 is off to a good start, but it is still too early to celebrate. Low inflows over the past 5 years have reduced water storage in Lake Powell. As of November 8, 2004, the current elevation of Lake Powell is 3,570.5 feet (129.5 feet from full pool). Current storage is 9.2 million acre-feet (38 percent of live capacity). Under the current inflow forecast, the water surface elevation of Lake Powell is projected to decline the remainder of the year, with current projections showing the lake reaching an elevation of about