BOARD01650

• Board Meeting Date: 3/29/1999
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River Basin Issues - Upper Colorado River Commissioner's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

J

,e

:e

e

MRR-15-1999 13:59 FROM GLENWOOD BLUEPRINT

TO

13038664474 P.02/06

,

'.

The States of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada,
New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming
Governor's Representatives on Colorado River Operations

February 19. 1999

;
,
,
The Honorable Bruce Babbitt
. ,
SecretarY of the Interior
. i
1849 - C Strc~t, N.W.
Washington. p.C. 20240

Dear SccrCtar}' Babbitt:

We hajve observed with a great deal of concern the exchange of correspondence among
the MetropoIiian Water District of Southern California, the Imperial Irrigation District, your
counselor Da~id Hayes, and you. Recent press reports from California arc even less
encouraging. !
,

For ~~ laSt several years, we have supported your insistence that California develop a
defined andeqforceable plan to reduce its normal year's use of water to 4.4 mafiyr. We have
encouraged:arld worked with California agencies to develop the agreements necessary to
implement thd plan. We have proposed interim surplus operating guidelines lhat will assist
California to ijnplement its 4.4 Plan, without creating undue risk to the other states, We have
supported the development ofregulations to facilitate interstate water hanking in the Lower
Basin.

Also, ~e have expressed to you and to the California agencies our concern about some of
the provisio~s:in the recent Memorandum of Understanding bet""ccn th.: D.:panment. the
Coachella Valley Water District and lID. For example, we oppose any irilplicalion that MWD
would bc entitled to an assured full supply through its Colorado River Aqueduct lor any time
period. The: provisions on o....enun accounting are of concern as well. \!orco\'cr. thc 2015 time
frame to impl~ment Phase I of the California Plan is not consistent with our proposed interim
surplus guidelines.

We co~tinue to support the resolution of water allocation issucs in an atmosphere of
interstate and state-federal comity. At the same time, we have the obligation to protect the legal
entitlements a~d rights of our respective slates under the Law of the Ri\'.:r. and to insist that you
exercise your ~uthorities under those laws as necessary. This incllld.:s the limitations on the use
of water in Ca!ifomia.

In ligh~ of these recent events, we would like to meet with you and David Hayes to
discuss these and other issues. We hope to work with you to reinvigorate the discussions that, at
one time. held!so much hope. In particular, we would like to find a process that will allow for