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<br />( <br />, , <br /> <br />.' <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Proposal for Interim Lake Mead Reservoir Operation Criteria Related to Surplus, Nonnal, <br />and Shortage Year Declarations <br /> <br />Prepared by Representatives of the States of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, <br />Utah, and Wyoming in Response to the Draft California 4.4 Plan <br /> <br />December 4, 1998 <br /> <br />1. Introduction <br />The States of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming ("Six <br />States") are encouraged by the progress presently being made by the Colorado River water users <br />within the State of California, who are endeavoring to formulate a defined, enforceable program <br />to reduce California's dependence on Colorado River water over its basic entitlement. If <br />implemented as envisioned, California's plan to gradually step-down from its current use of over <br />5.2 million acre-feet ("maf') of Colorado River water to its basic apportionment amount of 4.4 <br />maf over a ten-to-fifteen year period will be a significant accomplishment. <br />The California 4.4 Plan, however, is gre~tly dependent upon using Colorado River water <br />made available from surplus declarations on the Colorado River as a way to ease the State's <br />. transition to living within its basic apportionment. The other Colorado River Basin States have <br />been, up to now, unwilling to enter into discussions on operating criteria that would <br />accommodate California's plan. The reason for this reticence is obvious--new reservoir operating <br />criteria on the Colorado River must only be an illterim measure while California steps down its <br />Colorado River water use. The temporary criteria cannot be viewed as a means to continue <br />California's utilization of Colorado River water above its basic entitlement. Therefore, th~ Six <br />States have insisted that California demonstrate a tanglble commitment to reduce its water use <br />before entertaining discussions of transitory reservoir operating criteria that might facilitate that <br />reduction. <br />The Six States now believe that a reasonable draft plan has been formulated by California <br />and sufficient commitment to the plan's implementation has been demonstrated by water users in <br />California to allow the initiation of dis,:ussions on special interim reservoir operating criteria The <br />purpose of this paper is to describe the parameters of the interim criteria that would be acceptable <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />1 <br />