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<br />. <br /> <br />-- <br /> <br />-. <br />, <br />r <br /> <br />_ <br />f'\ <br />~J <br /> <br />_ <br />, f'J-- <br />'" <br /> <br />STATE OF COLORADO <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br /> <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />721 Cen!ennial Building <br />'3' 3 Sherman Street <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br />Phone: (303) 866-3a41 <br />FAX: (3031 866-4474 <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />TO: <br /> <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board Members <br /> <br />FROM: <br /> <br />Randy Seaholm Q.~ <br />Chief, Interstate Streams Investigations Section <br /> <br />DATE: January 26,1999 <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Agenda Item l8f, January 27-28,1999 Board Meeting <br />Interim Surplus and Shortage Criteria for Operation of Colorado <br />River Reservoirs - Status Report <br /> <br />Introduction <br /> <br />Attached is the letter of December 4, 1998 sent to California on behalf of the <br />other six Colorado River Basin States outlining proposed interim reservoir <br />operating criteria for Lake Mead. The primary purpose of these interim criteria is <br />to relax the existing coordinated long-range operating criteria to help ease <br />California's transition back to living within its basic apportionment of 4.4 million <br />acre-feet from the Colorado mainstem. <br /> <br />In short, these interim criteria would allow for more liberal surplus declarations <br />during an interim ten to fifteen year period. The six states have insisted that <br />California demonstrate a tangible commitment to reducing its water use before <br />entertaining any discussions of transitory reservoir operating criteria to facilitate <br />that reduction. We are of the opinion that California's 4.4 plan, as it currently <br />exists, represents a tangible commitment and one that is greatly dependent on <br />such transitory criteria. <br /> <br />Discussion <br /> <br />The coordinated long-range operating criteria for Colorado River reservoirs state <br />that the minimum objective release from Lake Powell is 8.23 million acre-feet <br />annually. However, <br /> <br />"If, in the plan of operation, the Upper Basin Storage Reservoirs active storage <br />forecast for September 30 of the current year is greater than the quantity of <br />602(a) Storage determined for that date, water shall be released annually from <br />Lake Powell at a rate greater than 8.23 million acre-feet per year to the extent <br />necessary to accomplish any or all of the following objectives: <br />(a) to the extent it can be reasonably applied in the States o/the Lower Basin to <br />the uses specified in Article III(e) of the Colorado River Compact. but. no <br /> <br />Bill Owens <br />Governor <br /> <br />Gre8 E. Walcher <br />Executive Director. DNF <br /> <br />Peter H. Evans <br />Acting Director, CWC3 <br />