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an operating strategy linking the elevation of Lakes Powell and Mead to required reservoir releases. In simple terms, it would allow the Upper Basin to release less than the required 8.23 million acre -feet during droughts. More water, in turn, would be released in other years to "balance" overall releases. "Releases would be tied more to what is happening and reservoir levels would be kept more even," Ostler said. Adding that "triggers would be crafted to ensure that the system will work and that individual state's rights are not harmed." For the four Upper Basin states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — the preliminary proposal would provide more protection against a potential Lower Basin "Compact call," a requirement that would force the Upper Basin to either reduce post - Compact uses or release water from reservoirs upstream of Lake Powell to fulfill their delivery obligation. "The objective of the operation of Lakes Powell and Mead as described herein is to avoid curtailment of uses in the Upper Basin, minimize short- ages in the Lower Basin and not adversely affect the yield for develop- ment available in the Upper Basin," the states said in their preliminary proposal. For the Lower Basin, the overrid- ing concern was how the federal government would craft its so- called shortage criteria — the rules for how and when a shortage would be de- clared. As the junior water right holder under the Colorado River Basin Project Act of 1968, Arizona's Central Arizona Project (CAP) would take the first cut. That means that if, for example, only 6.5 million acre -feet of water was authorized in a given year for release to the Lower Basin states instead of 7.5 million acre -feet, the 1 million acre -feet difference would come largely out of the CAP's alloca- tion, not California's. (Other post- 1968 water right holders and the state of Nevada also would experience cutbacks.) Although the states did not suggest a change in priority status — something Arizona pushed hard for — the preliminary proposal, if adopted, would establish a process for defining the amount of shortage that Arizona has to take in drought years. It also recommends that Norton modify the Interim Surplus Guidelines to discon- tinue a clause that provided California and Nevada with a partial domestic surplus in dry years, which would retain more water in Lake Mead and reduce the shortage risk to Arizona. If Norton declared a shortage in the Lower Basin, the seven -state preliminary proposal suggests the adoption of specific triggers and shortages to both the Lower Basin states and the Republic of Mexico. The states' agreed -upon triggers: Deliveries would be reduced by 400,000 acre -feet annually when the