WSP12992

• File Number: 8282.750
• Description: California 4.4 or QSA or Water Plan
• State: CA
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Author: Imperial Irrigation District
• Title: California 4.4 Plan / QSA / Water Plan - Background Information
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Project Overview

The QSA was negotiated with the very active involvement of then Secretary of
the Interior Bruce Babbitt, although the Department is not a signatory. The parties to the
QSA are the lID, CYWD, MWD and the State of California. In October, 1999, the
parties agreed to the HKey Terms" of the QSA, and the draft agreement was released for
public review in December, 2000.

Execution of the final QSA requires that a number of objectives be met. These
include the drafting of numerous legal documents and sub-agreements and the
completion of all state and federal environmental documentation and permitting. The
Key Terms provide that the QSA must be finalized and implemented by Dec. 31. 2002. or
it will be terminated.

In essence, the QSA quantifies and caps the somewhat elastic Colorado River
entitlements of the agricultural agencies, nb and CVWD, and reallocates, during the
term of this agreement, California's share of Colorado River water through the voluntary
conservation, exchange and transfer of more than 500,000 AF annually. Most of that
water will move from agricultural to urban use.

Specifically, the QSA caps lID's annual entitlement at 3.1 MAF; and CVWD's at
330,000 AF, but provides another 126,000 to CVWD through transfers and exchanges
with lID and others. The Agreement includes the liD-San Diego conservation transfer of
up to 200,000 AF annually and an existing IID-MWD conservation transfer of 110,000
AF annually. An additional 94,000 AF of water will be made available by the lining of
the All American and Coachella canals -- 16,000 AF of which will be used to provide
supplies for the San Luis Rey Indian water rights settlement. Congress authorized the
canal linings several years ago, and the California Legislature appropriated $200 million
for the project in 1998.

The exchanges, conservation and transfers in the QSA will generate a total of
539,000 AF of water within California. In addition, the Key Terms of the QSA provide
for groundwater management and storage programs and dry-year water transfers that will
provide up to 400,000 AF of additional water for urban needs.

Interim Surplus Guidelines

If California were immediately held to its 4.4 MAF Colorado River
apportionment, MWD's urban supplies would fall short by approximately 700,000 AF in
a normal year. Therefore, the QSA -and the California Plan provide for the gradual
reduction in California's diversions from the Colorado River over a IS-year period.

California has been able to exceed its apportionment in recent years because the
Secretary of the Interior has declared that there are surplus flows on the Colorado. To
ensure that surplus water is likely to be available during the IS-year interim period,
California agencies asked the Secretary to liberalize the guidelines by which surplus
declarations are made. Essentially, this means allowing more water to be drawn out of
Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam for use by MWD.

In mid-2000, the Interior Department released draft "Interim Surplus Guidelines"
for review by the other six Basin states. The states responded with a stricter proposal of