BOARD01877

• Board Meeting Date: 1/12/1998
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River Issues - Proposed Federal Rule - Offstream Storage of Colorado River Water and Interstate Redemption of Storage Credits in the Lower Division States
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
721 Centennial Building
1313 Sherman Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
fAX: [phone]

STATE OF COLORI\DO
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MEMORANDUM

Roy Romer
Governol

J~mes S. LochheilcJ
.Executive Director, DNR

Oaries C. Lile, PE.
Director, eWeB

TO:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

FROM: Randy Seaholm

DATE: January 20,1998

SUBJECT: Agenda Item 29b, January 28-29,1998, Board Meeting--
Proposed Federal Rule - Offstream Storage of Colorado River Water and
Interstate Redemption of Storage Credits in the Lower Division States

BACKGROUND

The "7\10 Negotiations" that began in 1992 were necessitated as the lower basin
states approached full development of their compact apportionment and began searching
for additional water supply. It has been the goal of the Upper Basin States during these
negotiations to limit the uses of water in the lower basin of the Colorado River to the
entitlements set forth in the Colorado River Compact, as further defined by the Boulder
Canyon Project Act and in Arizona v California, and to provide for the continued
protection of Colorado River water allocations in the Upper Basin States. There are three
major issues under consideration at this time:
1. Getting California to develop a plan to reduce their uses to the 4.4 maf they
are allowed;
2. Implementation of rules governing the, " Offstream Storage of Colorado River
Water and Interstate Redernption of Storage Credits in the Lower Division
States;" and
3. Development of criteria for determining surplus and shortage water conditions
on the Colorado River.
The proposed rule, which is attached hereto, addresses the second item, which concerns
water banking in the Lower Division states. As Mr. Lochhead noted when he mailed
you copies of the proposed rule on January 8, 1998, we have until March 2, 1998 to
comment on the proposed rule. The purpose of this memorandum is to illustrate our
understanding of the proposed rule and identify issues that we propose to comment on.