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CHAPTER V11
<br />(a) The requirements stated in Article 111(1);
<br />(b) Actual and forecast quantities of active storage on Lake Mead;
<br />(c) Estimate of net inflow to Lake Mead for the current years;
<br />(d) Historic streamflows, including the most critical period of record;
<br />(e) Priorities set forth in Article 11(a) of the Decree in Arizona v. California; and
<br />(f) The purposes stated in Article [(1) of these Operating Criteria.
<br />The shortage provisions of Article Il(B)(3) of the Decree shall thereupon become effective and consump-
<br />tive uses from the mainstream shall be restricted to the extent determined by the Secretary to be required by
<br />Section 301(b) of Public Law 90-537.
<br />Article IV is entitled "Definitions' and provides, in addition to the definitions in Section 606 of Public Law
<br />90-537, that:
<br />(1) "Spills," as used in Article I11(3)(c) herein, means water released from Lake Powell which cannot be
<br />utilized for project purposes, including, but not limited to, the generation of power and energy;
<br />(2) "Surplus," as used in Article II1(3)(b) herein, is water which can be used to meet consumptive
<br />to
<br />demands in the three Lower Division States in excess of 7.5 maf/yr but is not to be construed as app
<br />the term "surplus" in the Colorado River Compact;
<br />(3) "Net inflow to Lake Mead," as used in Article 1110) (b) (iv) and (c) (iii) herein, represents the annual
<br />inflow to Lake Mead in excess of losses from Lake Mead;
<br />(4) "Available capability," as used in Article 11(4) herein, means that portion of the total capacity of the
<br />powerplant that is physically available for generation.
<br />The Operating Criteria were published in Volume 35, Federal Register No. 112, Wednesday, June 10,
<br />1970, at pages 8951 and 8952 and appear in Appendix 701.
<br />The Department of Interior's explanation of decisions on the suggestions and recommendations of the Up-
<br />per and Lower Basin States, dated June 9, 1970, appears in Appendix 702.
<br />N. Operations Under Operating Criteria
<br />A draft copy of the Secretary's first annual operating report entitled "Operation of the Colorado River,
<br />1971-1972" circulated for review and comment, used a method of computing Upper Basin reserve storage
<br />required by Section 602(a) of Public Law 90-537 in order to meet Compact deliveries during the most critical
<br />dry period on the Colorado while maintaining minimum power pools in Upper Basin reservoirs. However,
<br />following receipt of comments, the final report avoided the issue of determining a numerical value for. Section
<br />602(2) storage by stating that "the accumulation of '602(a) Storage is not the criterion governing the release
<br />of water during the current year (Annual Report 1971-Colorado River Board of California).
<br />This finding was repeated in the Second through Eighth Annual Reports.
<br />By way of illustrating operations under the Operating Criteria, the fifth annual report of the Secretary to the
<br />Congress and to the Governors of the Colorado River Basin States in 1976 stated that water delivered to the
<br />Lower Basin at Lee Ferry was 9,274,000 acre-feet and 87,212,000 acre-feet for the 1-year and 10-year
<br />periods, respectively, ending September 30, 1975. Releases and diversions of 8,453,000 acre-feet from
<br />Lake Mead were made during the 1975 water year to satisfy all downstream requirements, including those of
<br />Mexico.
<br />Because the projected 1975 end-of-year active storage in Lake Powell would exceed the active storage in
<br />Lake Mead with a minimum release, an additional 1,024,000 acre-feet was released from Lake Powell to
<br />equalize storage in Lake Mead.
<br />The projected operations for water year 1976 contemplated a total release of 9,606,000 acre-feet from
<br />Lake Powell to satisfy storage equilization requirements. That, plus the flow of the Paria River, will result in
<br />the delivery to the Lower Basin at Lee Ferry of about 9,625,000 acre-feet.
<br />The Secretary's Fifth Annual Report concluded that the 602(a) Storage forecast for September 30, 1975,
<br />on the basis of average runoff, exceeds the quantity required to protect expected future uses of water In the
<br />Upper Basin and, therefore, the releases from Lake Powell were projected to be above the minimum of
<br />8.23 acre-feet in order to equalize storage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead (see Commissioner of Reclama-
<br />tion's memorandum of January 13, 1976, to the Secretary through the Assistant Secretary, Land and Water
<br />Resources).
<br />A-10
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