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<br />Redlands Diversion Fish Screen: Reclamation, on behalf of the Upper Colorado River Endangered <br />Fish Recovery Program, is proposing to construct a fish screen in the Redlands Power Canal to prevent <br />entraimnent of native and endangered fish. In 1996, a fish ladder around the Redlands Diversion Dam <br />was constructed which has been used by over 36,000 native fish, including 47 Pikeminnow and 5 <br />razorback suckers. Reclamation is preparing an Enviromnental Assessment under NEP A and is <br />seeking to identify issues and concerns about the proposed project. Comments were due May 19. <br /> <br />Status of the CRSP Basin Fund: Due to below average hydrological conditions for the fourth <br />consecutive year, the Western Area Power Administration has had to make a significant amount of <br />purchases of electrical power from the market in order to meet its firm contractual commitments. <br />Western expects to purchase a total of $92 million of electricity from the electric power market. Over <br />the past four fiscal years, these expenditures have resulted in a draw-down of cash reserves in the <br />CRSP Basin Fund. At this point in time, and ifno action is taken, Western projects that this fund will <br />be drawn down to a zero balance, and will become negative by the end of December, 2003. <br /> <br />Western is legally obligated to retain cash in the Basin Fund sufficient to meet the operating <br />requirements of the CRSP system. Therefore, Western is pursuing loan arrangements from various <br />sources in order to maintain its cash reserves. These arrangements include the Colorado Water <br />Conservation Board Construction Fund, from which Western would borrow the funds necessary to <br />meet its legal requirement for its share of the construction of capital prQjects ofthe Upper Basin <br />Recovery Program. Western is also working with its firm electric service customers to implement <br />other actions that will reduce, or at least spread out the costs, of providing electrical power. <br /> <br />The following table describes the end-of-year cash balance for the CRSP Basin Fund for recent years, <br />and provides an estimate for 2003. <br /> <br />~iscal Year--l CRS:n~~~~e:~ND ~~~--.I <br />I I CASH BALANCE I <br /> <br />1--.-iOoo-~--f--~~---~-- $27~419000 ---~--I <br />'.------~-L--.. _ ~-----~--~I <br />, 2001] -- -$40,251,000 I <br />~._--,-~-- ._---~---- - .~_.._- <br />2002 $43,023,000 <br />- --------- ----------------~--------~---J <br />2003* i $10,100,000 I <br />l___----L-________~____ _ I <br />· Estimated <br /> <br />The Colorado River Storage Project, Management Center (CRSP-MC) anticipates providing only the <br />contractual minimum amount of firm electrical power to its customers in the summer of 2003 and for <br />the winter and summer seasons of2004 because of the extended drought conditions. <br /> <br />Fifty-three Native American Indian Tribes receiving allocations of Salt Lake City Area Integrated <br />Projects (SLCA/IP) power have been offered Firm Electric Service contracts for service to begin on <br />October I, 2004. Western is visiting the tribes and meeting with tribal officers to discuss the contracts <br />and to encourage them to sign them. In addition, Western continues to work with area utilities to make <br />arrangements to deliver the benefit of the firm electric service allocations to the tribes. <br /> <br />On June 10, 2003, members ofthe CRSP-MC held a rate discussion to provide an update on the FY <br />2003 preliminary SLCA/IP firm power rate. The preliminary study resuIts show an increase of <br />approximately 5.72 mills/kWh, which includes updates to the O&M and purchase power expenses. The <br />21 <br />