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Ari;zona,. Central: Calitornia commits to water plan http://www.azcentral.com/newslI220river.shtml "Those lakes are at the mercy of Mother Nature," Pearson said. "You can't raise and lower them on a whim. Even the slightest changes can have huge impacts. If you draw Lake Mead down too far, you can't assume a wet year is just around the comer." Worse, for Pearson and the other states, was that California's initial plan attempted to placate both urban and agricultural users. The other states want to see a proposal that shifts water from farmers to cities in times of drought. Stakes out his role Babbitt cautioned the other states about intruding too far into California's internal issues, and he held open the possibility that the lakes may have to be used: "Storage reservoirs by definition rise and fall. That's their purpose. Lake Mead is always fluctuating." The former Arizona governor has staked out his role in reaching an agreement, proposing a series of rules that would spell out how a surplus will be divided among the states. The rules are meant to help California cut back its use over about 15 years. The other states are willing to help as well, but not until California produces a plan to reduce its water use. After California submitted a proposal that fell short, the other six states fired off a letter demanding a more reasonable plan and asked for a meeting at last week's river conference. What irked Pearson, Mulroy and others is that the other six states presented a surplus plan more than a year ago, one they all agreed on, one that included a little sacrifice for everybody and one that California promptly ignored. "There weren't many differences between what they presented this week and what we'd already proposed," Pearson said. "If we all could agree to it, why couldn't they use it?" Issues are complex Zimmerman said California wasn't dragging its feet and wasn't trying to avoid its responsibilities. The state's water issues are complex -- just crafting an agreement among three agricultural districts took months and that was only after years of no one even showing up at the table. "Now we are of one mind, and we have a unified position," he said, "We have always been concerned about what the other states were saying." He and other officials promised to produce a draft use plan by January and, pending a vote by the state's Colorado River Board, present it to the other six states by the end of that month, The plan will include the specific details of how California will use less water, out-lining target dates arid 3 of4 12/20/99 9:03 AM