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_ Ari~o"a Central: Calitornia commits to water plan http://www.azcentral.com/news/ I 220river .shtml anything final gets her signature. "I think they heard us and are ready to respond to our concerns," she said. "But they didn't tell us why they wouldn't consider what the other six states proposed in the first place, and they didn't make their case for why they need so much extra water," What California did that probably saved the negotiations, officials said, was to, in effect, join the club and admit that its actions affected everyone else along the river. "For the first time, the state of California recognized that they had a responsibility to the largest system, and that is huge," said Pat Mulroy, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. "They acknowledged they couldn't just take water and that they had to be more judicious in the way they treated Lake Mead and Lake Powell." Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, eager to settle the major river issues before he leaves office a year from now, blessed the renewed talks, however tenuous. "I believe we have an excellent prospect of consensus," he said after addressing a meeting of the Colorado River Water Users Association here. "Our goal is to make sure Californians live within their entitlement." But he warned the other states not to gang up on California and not to target its farmers as the river's whipping boy. "It's not as easy as saying let it all fall on agriculture," he said. Farming at core of dispute Yet agriculture lies at the core of the dispute. Farmers hold the rights to almost all of California's river allotment, leaving populous Los Angeles with about a half-million acre-feet and whatever extra water runs downstream. Until recently, no one much cared if Los Angeles slurped up the unused water, but as Arizona and Nevada began taking their allotments, California found itself under increasing pressure to live within its means. The states have averted crisis so far because the river has run high enough in recent years to produce an annual surplus. Hanging over last week's talks, though, was the fear that the wet cycle could be nearing an end. The last time drought hit the Colorado, the demands were far less and no one is sure now how far the river can be stretched if the rains stop. ,Arizona and Nevada are worried if they give up too much in the negotiations, California will be able to draw thousands of acre-feet from Lake Mead and Lake Powell, two of the largest reservoirs along the Colorado. One California proposal could have lowered Lake Mead by more than 100 feet. 20f4 12/20/99 9:03 AM