BOARD00282

• Board Meeting Date: 5/11/1998
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River Basin Issues - 7/10 Issues - Comments on Lower Colorado Rule to Allow Offstream Storage
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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STATE OF COLORADO

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Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
721 Centennial Building
1313 Sherman Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone, [phone]
FAX, [phone]

MEMORANDUM

TO:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

FROM:

Randy Seaholm ~
Chief, Interstate Streams Investigation Section

DATE: May I, 1998

SUBJECT: Agenda Item 26eii, May 11-12, 1998 Board Meeting-
Colorado River Basin Issues, 7\10 Issues
Comments on Lower Colorado Rule to Allow Offstream Storage

Introduction

The Department ofInterior and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation published a
proposed rule in the Federal Register on December 31,1997 at "43 CFR Part 414:
OFF STREAM STORAGE OF COLORADO RlVER WATER AND INTERSTATE
REDEMPTION OF STORAGE CREDITS IN THE LOWER DIVISION STATES." The
Colorado Water Conservation Board reviewed and discussed the proposed rule at its
January 1998 meeting. Based on that discussion and comments from a public meeting in
Ontario, California on March 27, 1998 staff prepared formal written comments on the
proposed rule. Jim Lochhead conveyed our formal comments to Reclamation on April 2,
1998. We also mailed a copy of those comments to each of you and to each of the seven
basin states.

Discussion

Reclamation received 46 comment letters (list attached) on the proposed rule. A
complete set of the comment letters Reclamation received was sent to each of the seven
Colorado River Basin States and they are available for your review. Reclamation is
currently in the process of reviewing the comment letters and modifying the proposed
rule, as they deem appropriate,

The schedule outlined for implementing the proposed rule calls for the next
publication in the Federal Register to occur in mid June. The next publication will start
the 60-day review of the proposed rule before Congress. During the 60-day review
Congress can instruct Interior and Reclamation to; (1) pull back the rule for further
consideration, (2) modify the rule, (3) reject the rule, or (4) take no action on the mle, in
which case the rule becomes effective at the end of the 60-day period.

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Roy Romer
Governor
James S. Lochhead
Executive Director, DNR
OariesC. Lile, RE.
Director, eweB
Peter H. Evans
Acting Director, ewCB

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