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<br />~ . <br /> <br />Due to the great demand for water in the Lower Basin, the Colorado River Basin <br />Project Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-537) and the Operating Criteria allowed for <br />the delivery of water greater than 75 MAF every 10 years if the water could be <br />beneficially used in the Lower Basin, to avoid spills (power plant bypasses), <br />or to equalize storage between Lakes Powell and Mead if Lake Powell storage is <br />greater than that of Lake Mead. The release of this extra water was allowed <br />only if CRSP storage exceeded that volume of water deemed necessary to ensure <br />the Lower Basin delivery of water without impairing the Upper Basin use of <br />apportioned water. The Secretary of Interior has declared that current CRSP <br />storage exceeds this volume termed 602(a) storage, but this volume has never <br />been technically determined by Reclamation. Reclamations position is that <br />current CRSP storage does exceed this volume. <br /> <br />The 1964 Supreme Court ruling in Arizona v. California specified the <br />apportionment of Lower Basin uses with respect to 7.5 MAF of mainstream water, <br />different from the 8.5 MAF of Colorado Basin water allocated in the Colorado <br />River Compact. The 1970 Operating Criteria followed by setting the minimum <br />annual release from Glen Canyon Dam at 8.23 MAF. The Operating Criteria also <br />allowed releases greater than 8.23 MAF, but only for the reasons specified in <br />the Colorado River Basin Project Act, cited' above. However, since Lower Basin <br />mainstream use is currently only about 6.7 MAF annually and Lake Mead's <br />storage is greater than Lake Powell's storage, additional water can presently <br />only be released from the Upper Basin to avoid power plant bypasses. This has <br />resulted in full reservoir conditions in the Upper Basin. <br /> <br />3.3 Project Repayment <br /> <br />Repayment of the Project comes from power generation revenues, water sales and <br />other sources which also assist in the financing of the CRSP participating <br />projects. The passage of Public Law 84-485 created a separate U.S. Treasury <br />fund known as the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund. This Basin Fund contained <br />the advances from the Treasury to construct CRSP structures and received the <br />revenues produced by the generation of electricity. Each of the provisions of <br />the CRSP Act excepting Section 8 are credited to the Basin Fund. Section 8 of <br />the act which pertains to fish and wildlife mitigation is funded by direct <br />appropriation each year. In summary form, these are: <br /> <br />1. Power generation revenues resulting from the marketing <br />of CRSP capacity and energy. <br /> <br />2. Revenues from water sales and other sources. <br /> <br />3. Interest charges on the unamortized balance of the <br />investment. <br /> <br />4. Costs of operation, maintenance, replacement, and <br />emergency expenditures for CRSP and participating <br />projects. <br /> <br />5. Costs allocated to power production. <br /> <br />6. Costs allocated to municipal water supply. <br /> <br />7. Costs allocated to irrigation. <br /> <br />8. Costs associated with salinity control. <br /> <br />3-2 <br />