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50%, and San Miguel, Dolores, Aninlas and San Juan River @ 53%. These values represent an increase above the May 1st values for the South Platte River and Upper Colorado River Basins. Water managers in Denver are at limited water schedule 'for the metro area. The Denver Water is at its Stage 2 schedule, which allows limited watering two days a week. Denver Water will review their watering declaration at its May 21 st meeting. In the Denver Post's May 9, 2003 paper it states "Denver Water officials said that ifnonnal weather holds, reservoirs that are now 45 percent full could be 79 percent full on July 1 and could fill up even more if resn;ictions are left unchanged. Should the Colorado water supply outlook continue to irp.prove and reservoir storage increase, I will recommend that the Board review its Drought Declaration that was issued for the Chatfield Reservoir at the CWCB November Meeting in Denver. Norton Announces Water 2025: Saying that chronic water supply problems in the West are one of the greatest challenges facing the nation in the coming decades, Secretary Norton announced a proposal to help communities predicted to experience conflicts over water during the next 25 years. The proposal- Water 2025: Preventing Crises and Conf!lict in the West -- calls for concentrating existing federal financial and technical resources in key ,western watersheds and in critical research and development, such as water conservation and desalinization, that will help to predict, prevent, and alleviate water supply conflicts. The President's FY 2004 budget calls for an initial investment of $11 million for such efforts. She cited the Klamath River and Middle Rio Grande River basins as examples of where help is needed. She said these are areas where fanners, urban residents, Native Americans, and fish and wildlife have been affected by water shortages-vividly demonstrate the consequences offailing to strategically address the problem of competing demands. She said the Water 2025 effort could help stretch existing water supplies by improving conservation, being more efficient, and through better monitoring of \yater resources. Modernizing aging water supply structures-from dams and reservoirs to pumping stations, pipelines, and canals-can help stretch existing water supplies. In some cases, collaborative approaches and market-based transfers can use water banks or other means to meet emerging needs. Federal investments in research and development can provide more affordable water treatment technologies, such as desalination, to increase water supplies in critical areas. ' A prinlary principle of Water 2025 is that solutions to complex water supply issues must recognize and respect state, tribal, and federal water rights, contracts, and interstate compacts and decrees of the United States Supreme Court that allocate the right to u~e water. More infonnation can be found at htto://www.doi.l!ov/water2025/. House Resources CommitteelNational Water Policy: On April 3 the House Resources Water and Power Subcommittee past a number of bills, including B.R. 135, the "21st Century Water Commission Act." Introduced in the last Congress, and reintroduced by Rep. John Linder (R-GA) on Jan. 7, the bill would establish a commission charged with: (I) assessing exi$ting and projecting future water supplies and demands; (2) studying current public and private water 'management programs for increasing water supplies; and (3) developing recommendations for a cO!nprehensive water strategy. Seven members are to be appointed by the President who are "ofrecognize~ standing and distinction in water policy issues," excluding current federal officers and employees. The President is also to designate the chainnan. Further, every effort is to be made to ensure the members of the commission "represent a broad cross section of regional and geographical persp~ctives." The bill authorizes $9 million over . . . 3