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

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Executive Summary
Comments received during the scoping process identified a broad range of concerns
regarding the availability and reliability of Colorado River water supplies. While many
of the concerns were related to reservoir operations during drought and under low
reservoir conditions, there were other comments that expressed a need to consider other
water supply, water management, and operational strategies or programs that could
improve the availability and reliability of Colorado River water supplies. After thorough
' consideration of the issues and comments received to date, Reclamation anticipates that
the elements of the proposed Action will include:
1) Adoption of guidelines that will identify those circumstances under which the
' Secretary would reduce the annual amount of water available for consumptive use
from Lake Mead to the Lower Division states (Arizona, California, and Nevada)
below 7.5 maf (a "Shortage") pursuant to Article II(B)(3) of the Supreme Court
Decree in Arizona v. California.
2) Adoption of guidelines for the coordinated operation of Lake Powell and Lake
Mead that are designed to provide improved operation of the two reservoirs,
particularly under low reservoir conditions.
3) Adoption of guidelines for the storage and delivery of water in Lake Mead to
increase the flexibility to meet water use needs from Lake Mead, particularly
under low reservoir conditions. These guidelines are anticipated to address the
storage and delivery of non-system water, exchanges, and water conserved by
1 extraordinary measures.
4) Modification of the substance and term of the existing Interim Surplus
Guidelines, published in the FR on January 25, 2001 (66 FR 7772-7782), from
' 2016 to coincide with the proposed new guidelines described above.
The Secretary proposes that these guidelines will be interim in nature and will extend
through 2025. Adoption of new guidelines along with modification of existing
operational guidelines for a consistent interim period will provide the opportunity to gain
valuable experience for operating the reservoirs under the modified operations and should
improve the basis for making additional future operations decisions, whether during the
interim period or thereafter.
Reclamation will consider the information and comments received during the scoping
process in the development of the alternatives to be considered and evaluated in the EIS.
Reclamation will develop this broad range of alternatives and coordinate these activities
with the Cooperating Agencies (listed below), the Basin States, Indian Tribes, key
1 stakeholders, and other interested parties. Reclamation's goal is to develop a sufficient
number of alternatives that will permit the evaluation of the full range of operational
elements being considered under the proposed Action. This will enable Reclamation to
identify the water supply management and operational strategies that provide the greatest
benefit and that best meet the purpose and need of the proposed Action.
Five federal agencies are participating in this EIS process as Cooperating Agencies,
which include the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, the Western Area Power Administration, and the U.S. Section of the
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