Laserfiche WebLink
<br />December 12, 2005 <br />Page 2 of 15 <br />Working Draft for Discussion <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />conserved water during an interim period of time while it develops new long-tenn <br />non-Colorado River water supplies for importation. California desires that the <br />guidelines recognize the shortage priorities specified by the 1968 Colorado River <br />Basin Project Act and water delivery contracts, that the operation of Lake Mead <br />be flexible enough to allow surplus deliveries in order to avoid flood control <br />releases and to minimize the excess water deliveries to Mexico, and that Lake <br />Mead be managed to facilitate conjunctive use with other in-state water supplies <br />in California and the accumulation of Intentionally Created Surplus (ICS) water in <br />Lake Mead. Arizona desires that the Secretary operate Lake Mead consistent <br />with the 1964 Supreme Court Decree, Arizona v. California (Decree) and that <br />water users in Arizona be protected from shortages as much as possible. To that <br />end, Arizona believes that any increased flexibility in operations to accommodate <br />Nevada or California interests must be offset by increased water supplies in the <br />Colorado River System Reservoirs as described in this conceptual paper. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Both Nevada and California interests want to conserve water in the Lower Basin <br />and accumulate an equivalent amount of water in Lake Mead for use in future <br />years. The Lower Division States propose that the Secretary adopt revised and <br />expanded guidelines that provide for the states to develop credits for use as <br />"Intentionally Created Surplus" (ICS) in future years. In addition, the guidelines <br />would establish criteria for declaring a shortage condition with respect to the <br />operation of Lake Mead. These guidelines would incorporate the Interim Surplus <br />Guidelines (ISG), including any revisions to the ISG that may be appropriate. To <br />be consistent with the Decree, water specifically created by a user as ICS water <br />may be delivered to that user or another designated user within that user's state, in <br />a subsequent year, in accordance with Articles II (B)(2) and II(B)(6). <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />2 <br /> <br />