BOARD00944

• Board Meeting Date: 3/26/2001
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River Basin Issues - Glen Canyon Adaptive Management Program - Funding Report and Policy Resolution
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Agenda Item 25g -GCAMP
March 26-27, 2001 Board Meeting
Page 2 of4

impacted by dam operations. The AMWG may recommend activities outside the scope
of the preferred alternative and assist in the coordination of other activities or statutory
responsibilities with work done pursuant to the Adaptive Management Program (AMP).

The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) was established in
November 1995 to provide the monitoring and research activities required by the 1992
Act. The Deputy Secretary for Water and Science, the Director of the USGS, and the
Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, in consultation with the AMWG oversee
operations of GCMRC. The GCMRC is funded with CRSP A power revenues. The
GCMRC budget was managed by Reclamation until this past year when operations were
fonnally transferred to the USGS. The amount of CRSP A power revenues that can be
used to support the AMP was capped in the 2001 USBR appropriations bill.

Discussion

The situation that is developing with the AMP and GCMRC budget is one were specific
work required by the preferred alternative is now being used to help justify additional
appropriations above and beyond the requirements of the AMP. In fact, some AMP
requirements are specifically being budgeted for appropriations so that AMP funds can be
used on activities that are questionably within the scope of the AMP. For example,
$200,000 in appropriated funds is being requested for the monitoring and status and
trends of downstream fish communities, an important function, while $181,000 of power
revenues is budgeted for integrated water quality monitoring, a much less important
activity and questionably within the scope of the ROD. Overall, for federal FY 2002,
$6,576,000 in CRSPA power revenues would be available and $1,010,000 in
appropriations is requested.

Furthennore, a number of program participants are asking the states to participate in
lobbying activities to secure the additional appropriations from Congress, similar to what
the basin states have done for several years to obtain funds for recovery programs in the
upper basin. Staffis of the opinion that this is not an appropriate activity at this time
since power revenues are adequate to support what is required under the ROD and
preferred alternative. Additionally, staffis not convinced that the AMP is more
important than the collection of basic water resource data the USGS is charged to do.

Proposed Policv Recommendation

Staff recommends that the Board adopt the attached statement of policy with respect to
the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program.