Laserfiche WebLink
<br />High Plains A&M is the group attempting to purchase land and water under the Ft. Lyon Canal <br />system. On Dec. 31,2002 High Plains also filed an application for a Change of Water Right in the <br />Division 2 Water Court claiming ownership of25 percent ofthe Ft. Lyon system. The application <br />seeks broad, non-specific changes to the type of use, place of use (28 Front Range and eastern <br />Colorado counties), and location of the points of diversion. <br /> <br />Colorado River Basin Issues <br /> <br />lID Board Sues Interior: Two weeks after the Interior Department began reducing California's take <br />of Colorado River water, the affected Imperial Irrigation District filed suit on Friday seeking an <br />inj unction.. The lID is expected to lose 67 billion gallons. <br /> <br />Assistant Interior Secretary Bennett Raley announced the planned reductions Dec. 27, warning the <br />lID it could lose 7 percent of its water if it did not agree to a water-transfer agreement by Dec. 31, <br />2002. The water-transfer was intended as the first step in reducing California's use of the Colorado <br />River. <br /> <br />In a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton, Lloyd Allen, IID board president, wrote: "Simply stated, <br />the action of your department is misguided, unjustified, unsupported by the law or the facts, and is an <br />example of heavy-handed and unwarranted federal interference with intrastate water allocation <br />matters." Allen said Norton's "actions are in stark contrast to the principles of the Bush <br />administration" <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Raley said the lawsuit "is not unexpected." He said the Interior Department is "fully prepared for a <br />court challenge." <br /> <br />California Quantification Settlement Agreement and Related Activities: Although California <br />failed to reach agreement on the QSA by the December 31,2002 deadline; they continue to work <br />towards a QSA agreement. In Las Vegas the California agencies asked the states to support re- <br />instituting the <br />Interim Surplus <br />Criteria as soon as a <br />QSA can be <br />completed. This <br />situation is <br />changing constantly <br />and we will discuss <br />this matter with you <br />further at the Board <br />meeting. The four <br />issue areas that must <br />be addressed before <br />a QSA agreement is <br />possible are; (1) <br />Environmental <br />issues, particularly <br />those surrounding <br />the Salton Sea, (2) <br />The San Diego County Water Authority must obtain the ability to wheel the conserved water through <br />the Colorado River Aqueduct, (3) the QSA must receive the necessary approvals including approval <br />from the State Water Resources Control Board and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and (4) IID must <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />December 1 Forecast of 2002 Year-End Colorado River <br />Water Use by the California Agricultural Agencies <br /> <br />5 <br /> <br /> <br />_ 4 <br />" <br />'* <br />~ 3 <br />co <br />'0 <br />:g 2 <br />~ <br />i 1 <br /> <br />3.850 MAF <br />2003 Target = 3.74 MAF <br />- - . - - - 2006 Target = 3.64 MAF <br />- - - - 2009 Target = 3.53 MAF <br />- - - 2012 Target = 3.47 MAF <br />_Year~End Forecast <br />--+- Use This Year <br /> <br />o <br />J <br /> <br />F M A M J <br /> <br />J <br /> <br />A SON 0 J <br /> <br />First of Month <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />10 <br />