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<br />Federal Register/Vol. 70, No, 114/Wednesday, June 15, 2005/Notices
<br />
<br />Bureau of Land Management lands,
<br />inquiries Ihay also be directed to Taylor
<br />Brelsford, Subsistence Coordinator,
<br />Alaska State Office, 222 West 7th
<br />Avenue, #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513;
<br />phone (907) 271-5806,
<br />SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regional
<br />Council discussion during the meeting
<br />will be devoted to the review and
<br />recommendation of the East Alaska
<br />Draft Resource Management Plan and
<br />Environmental Impact Statement.
<br />
<br />Dated: June 7.2005.
<br />Henri R. Bisson,
<br />State Director.
<br />(FR Doc. 05-11774 Filed 6-14-05; 8:45 am]
<br />BILLING CODE 43HhJA-P
<br />
<br />DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
<br />
<br />Bureau of Reclamation
<br />
<br />Colorado River Reservoir Operations:
<br />Development of Msnagement
<br />Strategies for Lake Powell snd Lake
<br />Mesd Under Low Rsservoir Conditions
<br />
<br />AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation,
<br />Interior.
<br />ACTION: Notice to solicit comments and
<br />hold public meetings on the
<br />development of management strategies
<br />for Lake Powell and Lake Mead,
<br />including Lower Basin shortage
<br />guidelines, under low reservoir
<br />conditions.
<br />
<br />SUMMARY: The Secretary of the Interior
<br />[Secretary) has directed the Bureau of
<br />Reclamation [Reclamation) to develop
<br />additional Colorado River management
<br />strategies to address operations of Lake
<br />Powell and Lake Mead under low
<br />reservoir condition&*lfis antiCipafea-
<br />that, among other potential elements,
<br />these strategies could identify those
<br />circumstances under which the
<br />Department of the Interior (Department)
<br />would reduce annual water deliveries,
<br />and the manner in which annual
<br />operations would be modified.
<br />OATES AND ADORESSES: Two public
<br />meetings will be held to solicit
<br />comments on the content, format.
<br />mechanism, and analysis to be
<br />considered during the development of
<br />management strategies for Lake Powell
<br />and Lake Mead under low reservoir
<br />conditions. Oral and written comments
<br />will be accepted at the public maetings
<br />to be held at the following locations:
<br />. Tuesday, July 26,2005-10 a,m, to
<br />12 noon, Henderson Convention Center,
<br />Grand Ballroom, zoo South Water
<br />Street, Henderson, Nevada.
<br />. Thursday, July 28,2005-10 a,m, to
<br />12 noon, Hilton Salt Lake City Center,
<br />
<br />Topaz Room, 255 South West Temple.
<br />Salt Lake City, Utah,
<br />Written comments on the proposed
<br />development of these strategies may be
<br />sent by close of business on Wednesday,
<br />August 31, 2005, to: Regional Director,
<br />Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado
<br />Region, Attention: BCOO-1000, P .0,
<br />Box 61470, Boulder City, Nevada
<br />89006-1470, fax at 702-293-8156, or e-
<br />mail at strategieS@lc.usbr.gov;and/or
<br />Regional Director, Bureau of
<br />Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region,
<br />Attention: UG-402, 125 South State
<br />Street. Salt Lake City, Utah 84318-1147,
<br />fax at 801-524-3858, or e-mail at
<br />strotegieS@uc.usbr.gov.
<br />
<br />FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
<br />Terrance j, Fulp, Ph.D" at 702-293-
<br />8500 or e-mail at strategies@Jc.usbr.gov;
<br />and/or Randall Peterson at 801-524-
<br />3633 or e-mail at strategies@uc.usbr.gov.
<br />If special assistance is required
<br />regarding accommodations for
<br />attendance at either of the public
<br />meetings, please call Nan Yoder at 702-
<br />293-8495, fax at 702-293-8156, or e-
<br />mail at nyoder@lc.usbr.govno less than
<br />5 working days prior to the applicable
<br />meeting(s),
<br />
<br />SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In recent
<br />years the Department has undertaken a
<br />number of initiatives to improve the
<br />efficient and coordinated operation and
<br />management of the Colorado River. For
<br />example, a number of Indian water
<br />rights settlements have been enacted
<br />and implemented, while additional
<br />settlements are under active negotiation.
<br />Important programs have been
<br />developed in the Upper and Lower
<br />Basins to address conservation of
<br />enQ-"8I!g~!~d _l?P_~~J~~~ ~_ciep~ific
<br />investigations are proceeding under the
<br />framework of the Glen Canyon Adaptive
<br />Management Program to study the
<br />impacts to and improve the values for
<br />which the Grand Canyon National Park
<br />and the Glen Canyon National
<br />Recreation Area were established. In
<br />2003, water users in California executed
<br />agreements that will assist California to
<br />limit its use of water from the Colorado
<br />River to its normal year apportionment
<br />of 4.4 million acre-feet [maf).
<br />More recently a new management
<br />challenge has emerged on the Colorado
<br />River. The Colorado River Basin has
<br />experienced the worst five-year drought
<br />in recorded history. Drought in the
<br />Basin has impacted system storage,
<br />while demands for Colorado River water
<br />supplies have continued to increase.
<br />During the period from October 1,1999,
<br />to October 1, 2004, storage in Colorado
<br />River reservoirs fell from 55.7 mafto
<br />29.7 mar.
<br />
<br />In the future, low reservoir conditions
<br />may not be limited to drought periods
<br />as additional development of Colorado
<br />River water occurs. The Colorado River
<br />is of strategic importance in the
<br />southwestern United States for water
<br />supply, hydropower production.
<br />recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and
<br />other benefits. In addition, the Republic
<br />of Mexico has an allocation to the
<br />waters of the Colorado River pursuant to
<br />a 1944 treaty with the United States.
<br />In a May 2, 2005, letter to the
<br />Governors of the Colorado River Basin
<br />States, issued in the context of the 2005
<br />Annual Operating Plan mid~year review.
<br />the Secretary directed Reclamation to
<br />develop additional strategies to improve
<br />coordinated management of the
<br />reservoirs in the Colorado River system.
<br />Pursuant to that direction, Reclamation
<br />conducted a public consultation
<br />workshop on May 26, 2005, in
<br />Henderson, Nevada, and has prepared
<br />this Federal Register notice. In order to
<br />assure the continued productive use of
<br />the Colorado River into the future,
<br />Reclamation is soliciting public
<br />comments on, at a minimum, the
<br />development of management strategies
<br />for the operation of Lake Powell and
<br />Lake Mead under low reservoir
<br />conditions.
<br />It is the Department's intent that the
<br />development of additional management
<br />strategies. including Lower Basin
<br />Shortage Guidelines, will provide
<br />guidance to.the Secretary's Annual
<br />Operating Plan decisions, and provide
<br />more predictability to water users
<br />throughout the Basin, particularly those
<br />in the Lower Division States of Arizona,
<br />California, and Nevada. For example. in
<br />2001 the Department adopted Interim
<br />Surplus Guidelines (66 FR 7772) that
<br />are used by the Secretary in making
<br />annual determinations regarding
<br />"Normal" and "Surplus" conditions for
<br />the operation of Lake Mead. Among
<br />other provisions, these Guidelines have
<br />allowed the Department and entities in
<br />Arizona. California, and Nevada that
<br />rely on the Colorado River greater
<br />predictability in identifying when
<br />Colorado River water in excess of 7.5
<br />maf will be available for use within
<br />these three states. In contrast, at this
<br />time the Department does not have
<br />detailed guidelines in place for annual
<br />determinations of releases from Lake
<br />Mead of less than 7.5 maf to water users
<br />in the three Lower Division States (often
<br />referred to as a "shortage" condition on
<br />the lower Colorado River). Therefore,
<br />water users who rely on the Colorado
<br />River in these states are not currently
<br />able to identify particular reservoir
<br />conditions under which the Secretary
<br />would release less than 7.5 maf for use
<br />
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