9567

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9567
• Author: Colorado River Water Conservation District.
• Title: River of Shortages
• USFW Year: 2006.
• USFW - Doc Type: Drought, Demand and Consensus on the Colorado River - 2006 Colorado River District Annual Water Seminar.
• Copyright Material: NO

1 The States of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada,
New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming
Governor's Representatives on Colorado River Operations
February 3, 2006
' Honorable Gale A. Norton, Secretary
Department of the Interior
1849 C. Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20240
Re: Development of Lower Basin Shortage Guidelines and Coordinated Management
' Strategies for the Operation of Lake Mead and Lake Powell Under Low Reservoir
Conditions
Dear Secretary Norton:
The materials attached to this letter contain descriptions of the programs that the seven Colorado
River Basin States suggest be included within the scope of the environmental impact statement
1 (EIS) for the proposed Colorado River Reservoir Operations: Development of Lower Basin
Shortage Guidelines and Coordinated Management Strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead
Under Low Reservoir Conditions (70 Fed. Reg. 57322) (Sept. 30, 2005).
' The Basin States, Bureau of Reclamation and others have consulted regularly since our previous
correspondence on August 25, 2005 to further discuss and refine recommended management
strategies for the Colorado River system. Subsequently, individual entities within the seven
Basin States submitted oral and written comments to the Bureau of Reclamation on the above-
referenced EIS process. Attachment A, "Seven Basin States' Preliminary Proposal Regarding
' Colorado River Interim Operations," is submitted as a consensus document on behalf of the
seven Basin States. Please recognize that the States are still actively working on the matters
addressed in this submission and anticipate further refinement.
' Our recommendation is designed to provide input for the Department's consideration as it
develops additional operational and water accounting procedures to: 1) delay the onset and
minimize the extent and duration of shortages in the Lower Division States; 2) maximize the
protection afforded the Upper Division States by storage in Lake Powell against possible
curtailment of Upper Basin uses; 3) provide for more efficient, flexible, responsive and reliable
operation of the system reservoirs for the benefit of both the Upper and Lower Basins by
developing additional system water supplies through extraordinary conservation, system
efficiency and augmentation projects; 4) allow the continued development and use of the
Colorado River resource in both the Upper and Lower Basins; and 5) allow for development of
dedicated water supplies through participation in improvements to system efficiency and
clarification of how to proceed with development of non-system water reaching the Lower Basin