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Honorable Jon Huntsman, Jr. <br />After this consultation, the Department intends to issue a notice through the Federal Register on <br />or before June 15, 2005 to begin work on these matters. At a minimum, we will address the <br />following matters in our upcoming Federal Register notice: 1) Development of Lower Basin <br />Shortage Guidelines, and, 2) Development of Conjunctive Management Guidelines for Lake <br />Powell and Lake Mead. It is my expectation that, regardless of the particular process utilized, <br />the Department will complete these processes by December 2007. <br />In the past five years we have seen many achievements on the Colorado River. However, recent <br />years of drought, decreasing system storage and increasing demands for Colorado River water <br />supplies require that all users of Colorado River water adhere to the limitations established in <br />conformance with the "Law of the River." The importance of the Colorado River to the <br />Southwestern United States for water supply, hydropower production, recreation, fish and <br />wildlife habitat, and other benefits dictates that all parties must work together to find creative <br />solutions that will conserve reservoir storage and help to minimize the adverse effects of drought <br />in the Colorado River Basin. <br />I remain committed to working with all stakeholders to find solutions within the framework of <br />the Law of the River to ensure that the Department's management of the Colorado River <br />continues to respect and implement the applicable provisions of the Colorado River Compact, <br />the Mexican Water Treaty and other applicable law. <br />Sincerely, <br />Gale A. Norton <br />cc: Mr. D. Larry Anderson <br />Director <br />Utah Division of Water Resources <br />1.636 West North Temple, Room 310 <br />Salt Lake City, Utah 84116 <br />