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<br /> <br />. Manage the Colorado River to fully meet the obligations of the 1944 Mexican Water <br />Treaty; <br />. Maintain the biological diversity of the Lower Colorado River shared by Arizona and <br />. Mexico (i,e" Limitrophe Division) and the Colorado River Delta; <br />. Manage the Yuma-area water resources, including groundwater resources; <br />. Obtain and manage mainstream water supplies necessary to implement the LCR MSCP; <br />. Promote water efficiency among users of the CAP; <br />. Manage the Colorado River to reduce contaminants such as NaCI, Perchlorate, and Se; and <br />. Replace the Bypass Flow and maintain the existing flows to Cienega de Santa Clara, <br /> <br />Some of the potential options associated with 'the water management goals and objectives <br />identified by the group included the following: <br /> <br />. Develop shortage criteria associated with Colorado River reservoir operations; <br />. Development of equitable shortage-sharing relationships among the Lower Division States; <br />. Development of water markets based upon "willing sellers-willing buyers;" <br />. Amend the 1944 Mexican Water Treaty to recognize deliveries to the Cienega de Santa <br />. Clara as part ofthe delivery obligation to Mexico (i,e" part of the 1.5 maf in a normal <br />year); and, <br />. Utilize groundwater pumpage in the Yuma area to meet Treaty needs and to maintain the <br />Cienega de Santa Clara, <br /> <br />At the conclusion of the meeting, ADWR committed to prepare detailed meeting notes <br />capturing the discussions, the identified management goals and objectives, and the potential options, <br />The notes will be distributed for review and comment among the meeting participants and interested <br />parties, ADWR plans to hold a follow-up meeting to identify the next steps, <br /> <br />Seven Basin Statesrrribe Discussions: Representatives from the Lower Division states also <br />met on Feb, 6 with Reclamation to discuss several issues, including: 1) shortage criteria, 2) illegal <br />diverters, 3) options to operation of the Yuma Desalting Plant, 4) Nevada's revised return flow <br />credit, and 5) the need for a seven Basin states meeting, <br /> <br />During the meeting there was an expressed need to begin to address shortage criteria for operation <br />of the Colorado River System reservoirs because of the extended drought conditions and the <br />increased water demands in the Basin, In addition to looking at shortage criteria and factors to be <br />considered in determining when a shortage should be declared, it was felt that the states and <br />Reclamation should be looking at cooperative programs that could lessen the impact or avoid <br />shortage declarations, Both the shortage criteria and possible cooperative management <br />programs to avoid shortages will be a topics of further discussion at the next Lower Division <br />states and Reclamation meeting to be held in about two months, <br /> <br />During the Feb, 6 meeting the impact that unauthorized and illegal water use is having on the junior <br />priority water users in the three Lower Division states and on the storage contents in the reservoir <br />system was discussed. During the discussion, Reclamation committed to outlining a process for <br />addressing the unauthorized use of Colorado River water and sharing it with the states prior to the <br />next meeting, <br /> <br />Reclamation indicated that it is continuing to look at options that would allow it to not operate the <br />Yuma Desalting Plant, as well as, continuing to move forward with making the Plant operational. <br />Reclamation is continuing to look at the possibility of pumping perched ground water in the Yuma <br />area to replace a portion of the drainage water from the Wel1ton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage <br />District that currently is released into the Bypass Drain and to the Cienega de Santa Clara, <br />Reclamation will release a request for proposals that would identify additional possible sources of <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />4 <br /> <br />16 <br />