Western States Water Council 2005 Report

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COUNCIL MEETINGS 135th Western States Water Council Meetings March 14-16,2001 Scottsdale, Arizona The 135th meetings of the Western States Water Council were held in Scottsdale, Arizona on March 14 -16th, in conjunction with a number of other meetings. The Council adopted or renewed a number of policy positions covering the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) final rule governing total maximum daily load (TMDL) allocations under the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Western Water Policy Review Advisory Commission's recommendations, and federal funding for water and climate data collection and analysis programs. Moreover, with unanimous consent, the Council adopted a brief statement regarding EPA's recently published draft public participation Policy.' Given the latter was not part of the 30 -day notice of the meetings, it was sent to western governors for review for 10 days before being publicly released. Similarly, given extensive changes to the Council's past position on EPA's draft TMDL rule, it was also resent to the governors for their review. Further, while changes to the Council's CWA position were discussed, no action was taken at this meeting. The Council's original position was adopted in 1996 and has been periodically revised and reaffirmed. With respect to the past recommendations of the now defunct Western Water Policy Review Advisory Commission ( WWPRAC), the Council reformatted and readopted its earlier position, expressed in a letter, raising a number of concerns. The new Administration is not likely to take up the WWPRAC recommendations, but if it did, the WSWC wished to express its opposition to the "primary recommendations related to fundamental changes in institutional structure and government process" incorporating top -down ways to manage water, as well as recommendations that either "directly conflict with existing state water law and policy, or fail to provide for adequate partnerships between the state and federal agencies on key policy issues." The position continues stating, "The federal government's preemption of state authority is not the way to address the complex issues associated with western water management." Another newly adopted policy position expresses the Council's strong support for federal water and climate data collection and analysis programs. The position states, "[W]ithout timely and accurate information, human life, health, welfare, property and environmental and natural resources are at considerably greater risk of loss ... [and] ... there is a serious need for adequate and consistent federal funding to maintain, restore, modernize and provide for targeted expansion" of the USDA's Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program and the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Streamflow Information Program (NSIP) and Cooperative Streamgaging Program. ZWestern States Water, Issue #1395, February 9, 2001 el