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THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR <br />Honorable Jon Huntsman, Jr. <br />Governor of Utah <br />Salt Lake City, Utah 84114 <br />Dear Governor Huntsman: <br />WASHINGTON <br />MAY 0 2 2005 <br />In accordance with the 2005 Annual Operating Plan for Colorado River Reservoirs (2005 AOP), <br />transmitted to you by my letter of November 19, 2004, the Department has conducted a mid -year <br />review to determine if the runoff forecast warrants an adjustment to the release amount from <br />Lake Powell for the remainder of water year 2005. The Department has conducted public <br />meetings and sought recommendations from the seven Colorado River Basin States on this issue. <br />The Department has reviewed all of the information presented during this review, and we have <br />concluded that an adjustment to the release amount from Lake Powell during the next five <br />months is not warranted. In particular, we note that the current runoff forecast into Lake Powell <br />during the spring snowmelt season from April - July, 2005 is projected to be 106% of average, <br />and that overall Colorado River system storage is approximately 10% better at this time than had <br />been projected last fall when the Department committed to undertake this mid -year review. <br />Moreover, if runoff in the Colorado River Basin remains at average levels, the contents of Lake <br />Mead and Lake Powell are projected to be approximately equal by September 2006. This <br />transmittal supplements the 2005 AOP and incorporates by reference the applicable provisions of <br />the Criteria for Coordinated Long -Range Operation of Colorado River Reservoirs (Operating <br />Criteria), and the 2005 AOP, including but not limited to, Article II(5) of the Operating Criteria <br />and the section entitled "Disclaimer" at page 27 of the 2005 AOP. <br />In previous multi -year droughts in the Colorado River Basin we have seen individual years of <br />average or above - average flow. Therefore, it is premature to conclude from this one year of <br />average flow in the Upper Basin and above average flow in the Lower Basin that the drought in <br />the Colorado River Basin has ended. With reduced system storage at this time, we remain very <br />concerned about the impacts of drought throughout the Basin. Accordingly, in upcoming <br />consultations on development of the 2006 AOP, scheduled to begin in June of this year, the <br />Department will propose to include a provision that requires a mid -year review next April if the <br />March 15, 2006 runoff forecast projects decreased storage in the Colorado River system. The <br />purpose of the review will be to determine if an adjustment to the release amount from Lake <br />Powell for water year 2006 is warranted. <br />