BOARD01255

• Board Meeting Date: 1/27/1999
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River Basin Issues - Interim Surplus and Shortage Criteria for Operation of Colorado River Reservoirs - Status Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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STATE OF COLORADO

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Colorado Water Conservation Board
. Department of Natural Resources
721 Centennial BuiJdirlg
13' 3 Sherman Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone],4474

MEMORANDUM

TO: Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

FROM:

Randy Seaholm Q,~
Chief, Interstate Streams Investigations Section

DATE: January 26, 1999

SUBJECT: Agenda Item 18f, January 27-28,1999 Board Meeting
Interim Surplus and Shortage Criteria for Operation of Colorado
River Reservoirs - Status Report

Introduction

Attached is the letter of December 4, 1998 sent to California on behalf of the
other six Colorado River Basin States outlining proposed interim reservoir
operating criteria for Lake Mead, The primary purpose of these interim criteria is
to relax the existing coordinated long-range operating criteria to help ease
California's transition back to living within its basic apportionment of 4.4 million
acre-feet from the Colorado mainstem.

In short, these interim criteria would allow for more liberal surplus declarations
during an interim ten to fifteen year period, The six states have insisted that
California demonstrate a tangible commitment to reducing its water use before
entertaining any discussions of transitory reservoir operating criteria to facilitate
that reduction. We are of the opinion that California's 4.4 plan, as it currently
exists, represents a tangible commitment and one that is greatly dependent on
such transitory criteria,

Discussion

The coordinated long-range operating criteria for Colorado River reservoirs state
that the minimum objective release from Lake Powell is 8.23 million acre-feet
annually, However,

"I/. in the plan of operation, the Upper Basin Storage Reservoirs active storage
forecast for September 30 of the current year is greater than the quantity of
602(a) Storage determinedfor that date, water shall be released annually from
Lake Powell at a rate greater than 8,23 million acrejeet per year to the extent
necessary to accomplish any or all of the following objectives:
(a) to the extent it can be reasonably applied in the States of the Lower Basin to
the uses specified in Article Ill(e) of the Colorado River Compact. but, no

Bill Owens
Governor

Greg E. Walcher
Executive Director, DNR

Peter H. Evans
Acting Director, ewes