BOARD00003

• Board Meeting Date: 5/11/1998
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River Basin Issues - 7/10 Issues - Colorado River Annual Operating Plan
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
721 Centennial Building
131 3 Sherman Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX, [phone]

STATE OF COLORADO
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MEMORANDUM

Roy Romer
Governor

J.lmes S. Lochhead
Execulive Direcror, DNR

Daries C.lile, PE.
Direaor, ewes

To:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

Gene Jencsok ~ ~<-tcsot.
Randy Seaholm /Zf?J---

May 6,1998

From:

Date:

Sub:

Agenda Item 26e(iii) May 11-12 1998 Board Meeting
Colorado River Annual Operating Plan

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The Bureau of Reclamation has recently announced a schedule and process to develop the 1999
Annual Operating Plan (AOP) for the Colorado River System Reservoir: As in past years, the
AOP will be developed jointly between Reclamation and the Colorado Rive Management Work
Group. The Work Group includes, in addition to Reclamation, the Seven Basin States, Colorado
River water users in the Upper and Lower Basins, environmental groups and other interested
parties. Work Group meetings will be held on May 15 and June 30 and a final consultation
meeting will be held on August 4, 1998.

At the first meeting Reclamation will distribute a draft copy of the 1999 AOP for review and
comment. This draft will include the typical three hydrologic scenarios used in the past and
projections of next year's reservoir conditions. It will also contain a detennination as to the
availability of Lower Basin surplus deliveries for 1999. The key issue for the 1999 AOP will be
whether the Secretary of the Interior should declare a surplus condition for Lower Basin
deliveries.

Because of near full reservoir conditions and an average runoff forecast Reclamation will most
likely recommend a surplus condition for 1999 and the Basin States will most likely agree to
such a detennination. This will allow the Lower Basin States to use more than their basic
apportionment in 1999. A surplus declaration will be most beneficial to California because it
will allow California to use about 5.2 maf rather than its basic apportionment of 4.4 maf.

Because California's 4.4 Plan has not sufficiently advanced, Reclamation and the States will not
propose or agree to include fonnal guidelines or criteria for detennining surplus conditions as
part of the 1999 AOP. Surplus conditions will continue to be detennined on a year to year basis
until California's 4.4 Plan has been accepted by the Secretary and the Basin States. We will keep
you infonned on the status of the 1999 AOP discussions.

. GJ/fgfl:wctranstboardmemlmay98/26e(iii)