BOARD01164

• Board Meeting Date: 3/21/2006
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Water Education Foundation Plans Lower Colorado River Tour, April 5-7: Sign-ups are underway
for the Foundation's popular Lower Colorado River Tour, which follows the course of the lower Colorado
River through parts of Arizona, California and Nevada. This fast-paced, three-day, two-night tour
includes a tour of Hoover Dam, a boat ride on Lake Mead, and visits to the Havasu National Wildlife
refuge; farms in the Impe.ri~!l~ Coachel1a and Pale Verde va!!eys and the Sulton Sea. Ted Kowalski oft.'!c
CWeB has registered to take this tour. This is a one-bus tour, so seating is limited. To learn more about
the tour and the on-line registration form go to httD://www.watereducation.on!ltours.aso#lower

liD Director Lloyd Allen to Retire from Public Service: Following 44 years of public service, Imperial
Irrigation District Director Lloyd Allen announced on Feb. 28 that he plans to retire at the end of his
present term in December 2006.

Allen served for five terms as lID Director and is credited with guiding District operations during
difficult times. A friend described him as having "a rare quality of dedication and leadership that
continues to reach beyond District boundaries."

Among Allen's success is bis key role in the recent seven basin states negotiations regarding the sharing
of shortages along the Colorado River. His experience and homespun diplomacy served California well in
these discussions which concluded in some very practical suggestions for the Secretary of the htterior to
consider when making the final plan for shortage operations of the River.

During his tenure on the lID Board, Allen has served on several state and national groups and
associations, including the Nation Water Resources Association, the Association of California Water
Agencies and the Farm Water Coalition. He was appointed by Governor Wilson in 1996 to the Colorado
River Board of California where he currently serves as president.

Reclamation Signs Record of Decision Completing Flaming Gorge Dam Final EIS Process:
Reclamation's Upper Colorado Regional Director Rick Gold announced Feb 16 that he has signed a
Record of Decision (ROD) approving the implementation of the Action Alternative analyzed in the Final
Operation of Flaming Gorge Dam Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Published in November 2005, the final EIS analyzed flow recommendations and strategies that are
intended to assist in the recovery of populations and protect designated critical habitat of four endangered
fish species in the Green and Colorado River Basins, while maintaining all authorized purposes of the
Flaming Gorge Dam-- particularly those related to the development of water resources in accordance with
the Colorado River Compact. Today's signing of the ROD document culminates more than 10 years of
work by Reclamation and eight cooperating federal and state agencies. On November IS, 2005,
Reclamation filed the Operation of the Flaming Gorge Dam Final EIS with the Environmental Protection
Agency and made the document available to the puhlic. The final ROD addresses an assortment of issues
and concerns that were raised by the public and the cooperating agencies in their review of the final EIS.
Along with Reclamation, cooperating agencies to the EIS process included htterior's Bureau of htdian
Affairs, Bureau of land Management, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the
Western Area Power Administration (Western); the USDA Forest Service; the State of Utah; and, Utah
Associated MlUlicipal Power Systems (UAMPS).

2004 SaUnity Operations Report Received: The htternational Boundary and Water Commission of the
United States and Mexico have sent out the 2004 Salinity Operations Report titled "Colorado River
Salinity Operations, Under Agreement htternational Boundary and Water Commission Minute No. 242,
January I to December 31 2004." The report states the salinity differential as 123 ppm (United States
count) and 152 ppm (Mexican Count) for the calendar year 2004, for the average annual salinity of the

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