BOARD01807

• Board Meeting Date: 5/24/2004
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

The preliminary end-of-year
measure for 2003 Califomia
agricultural consumptive use of
Colorado River water under the
first three priorities and the sixth
priority of the 1931 California
Seven Party Agreement is
measured as 3.750 maf as shown
in the attached graph. The target
under the ISG for the end of 2003
was 3.740 maf, thus California
was in substantial compliance
with the ISG. Tracking of use in 2004 is also shown

the reinstatement of the surplus
provisions of the Interim Surplus
Guidelines (ISG), the Lower
Division States' consumptive use of
Colorado River water for calendar
year 2004 will be based on a
partial domestic surplus.

January 1 Forecast of 2003 Year-End Colorado River
Water Use by the California Agricultural Agencies

3.850 MAF

5

Use This Year

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ro
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@~mm~m2003 Target = 3.74
MAF
,. , .- " , '2006 Target = 3.64
MAF
'w ,. m_ 2009 Target = 3.53
MAF
mmm 2012 Target = 3.47
MAF

~

mw~.mw Year-End Forecast

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First of Month

Grand Canyon Trust vs. Secretary ofInterior & USFWS: On Mar. 31 the Grand Canyon Trust, through
Earth Justice, filed a lawsuit challenging the legal and scientific validity of the August 2002 Recovery Goals for
the Humpback Chub. The claim the agencies violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Administrative
Procedures Act (APA). They want the goals be remanded back to the USFWS and new goals developed. The
government's answer is due on May 31. We will update the Board as more becomes known.

Colorado River Salinity Control Program: Reclamation now has a model that can be used to project Colorado
River salinity levels. The model has been demonstrated to reproduce both flow and salt levels for the two
decades prior to 1995. It was also able to predict salt levels from 1995 to 2000 with a reasonable degree of
accuracy. The model will be used in the 2005 triennial review of water quality standards. The Forum will
receive a report on the model effort at its June 3 meeting in Rock Springs, Wyoming. The Workgroup is
developing criteria and assumptions for 2005 review and that information along with appropriate model runs
will be presented to the Forum in October.

Environmental Organizations' Letter to IBWC: Seventeen environmental organization have written to the
US and Mexican Sections of the IBWC expressing concerns that approximately 6,700 acres of native riparian
habitat between Morelos Dam and the Southern International Boundary will be damaged or lost during the
boundary rectification and flood improvement project currently planned by IBWC. The letter suggests several
alternatives to the proposed project. We are attempting to obtain a copy of the letter.

Seven Colorado River Basin State Meetings: Scott Balcomb and I have been attending meetings of the 7-
Colorado River Basin States. The next meeting is scheduled for May 17.

Discussions have focused on: 1) drought management responses, 2) shortage conditions and potential
management responses, and 3) Interim Surplus Guidelines and agreements and operations of the reservoir
system pursuant to those documents.

Our intent is array potential options that that could lessen or avoid the drought impacts and possible shortage
declarations. Reclamation is providing model runs to assist in these deliberations. All seven states have also
undertaken a review of their future depletion projections to assist in this matter. Assistant Secretary Bennett
Raley has strongly encouraged the three lower basin states to develop a process or plan to deal with potential
shortages.

Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (LCR-MSCP): On April 15 the non-federal
participants in the LCR-MSCP submitted the agency review drafts of the Habitat Conservation Plan
Environmental Impact Statement\Report along with an application for ESA incidental take authorization to the

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