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. . . have conditional subscriptions of interested landowners in place to collectively conserve 130,000 AF of water. The agreement also caps lID's yearly allotment at 3.1 MAF. Attached is the graph, which helps us monitor California agricultural water uses. Colorado River Water Users Association Annual Meeting: Randy Seaholm and 1 attended this conference along with Greg Walcher and Scott Balcomb. As usual the conference was very informative with a number of side meetings involving updates on the QSA, a meeting with Reclamation Commissioner Keyes on Colorado River Salinity and a seven states dinner meeting with federal agencies on a variety of Colorado River issues. Attached is a copy of the Program and Secretary Norton's speech for you information. Colorado River Reservoirs - 2003 Annual Operating Plan (AOP): The final 2003 AOP was signed be the Secretary of Interior on Dec. 16, 2002 following consultation with states and water users. Repayment provisions for inadvertent oveITuns were added to the 2003 AOP. The AOP clearly states that if California fails to implement the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) by Dec. 3 1, 2002 that the interim surplus provisions will be suspended Until the QSA is completed. Because California failed to implement the QSA the Secretary of Interior issued water orders to all parties indicating the reductions that would occur if the QSA is not completed. MWD, IID, and Nevada would have the consumptive use allowed under their water orders reduced by 415,100, 204,900 and 37,171 AF respectively. A copy ofthe AOP is available on Reclamation's Upper Colorado Region Website at http://www.uc.usbr.gov/wrg/aop. These water orderreductions ironically follow a Nov. 22, 2002 order authorizing Reclamation to release water to three California agricultural contractors in excess of previously approved water orders subj ect to specific repayment provisions and other conditions. A copy of that letter is available on Reclamation's web site at http://www.lc.usbr.gov/ under Lower Colorado River Operations-Annual Operating Plans. Salinity Levels and Citizens Committee: Salinity levels in the Colorado River remain well below the established standards at Hoover, Parker and Imperial dams. However, the reductions in salinity are making it increasingly difficult to meet the differential (115 +1- 30 mgll) at the Northern International Boundary with Mexico required by Minute 242 of the 1944 Treaty. As a result, the International Boundary Water Commission (IBWC) has created a "Colorado River Citizens Forum" to exchange information regarding IBWC activities in Yuma County, Arizona and Imperial County, California. The Forum will consist of 10 members representing diverse interests in the community with quarterly meetings open to the public. Colorado River Basin Salinity Control-Triennial Review: The "2003 Triennial Review Water Quality Standards for Salinity Colorado River System" was adopted and approved for submittal to the states and federal agencies at the Salinity Control Forum's October 30,2002 meeting in San Diego. The Colorado Water Quality Control Commission must now consider and adopt the review at its Jan. 14 meeting. The Review concludes that the numeric criteria for Total Dissolved Solids at the three lower basin measuring points are still sufficient to meet the needs of basin water users and that the salinity control criteria are achievable if the proposed Plan of Implementation is carried out. The Plan of Implementation continues to rely primarily on federally funded, cost-share projects to improve irrigation efficiency in the Upper Basin. The Forum has also recognized that new project areas will need to be identified to meet overall salinity control goal and we are working with federal agencies and local water users to advance 11