BOARD02231

• Board Meeting Date: 9/24/2001
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River Basin Issues - Discussion on Future Policy Regarding the Yuma Desalter Plant
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

08/24/01 12:56 FAX [phone]

COLORADO R1VER BOARD

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:l'!! o~t:AlJFOl\NlJl.. TIlB lUlSOURC'BS AGllNCY

ORA. y DAVIS, Governor

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OLORADO RIVER BOARD OF CALIFORNIA
o FAIRMONr A\IIlN1JI!, SUlI'llIOil
LRNDALE. CALlFORNlA. 91203-1035
.'\lIl 543-4676
)l 543-4685 FAX

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August 1,2001

Robert W. Johnson
Regional Director
U.S, Bureau of Reclamation
Lower Colorado Region
P.O. Box 61470
Boulder City, Nevada 89006.1470

Dear Mr, Johnson:

The purpose of this letter is to provide the Bureau of R;eclamation (Reclamation) with Colorado
River Board of California's (Board) comments and conQerns associated with a letter Reclamation
recently received from several environmental and conservation organizations (dated July 6, 2001)
regarding the 'status of the interim period during which the United States is able to receive credit for .
Colorado River water being conserved through lining of the rust 49 miles of the Coachella: Canal,
The Board agrees with the primary assertion put forward in the letter by the environmental and
conservation organizations that the'interim period is not over, However, the Board disagrees with
several other points raised in the letter, and felt that it was important to provide Reclamation with
the Board's position relative to thes~ isslJ,es.

First, while the Board agrees with environmental organization's position that the "interim period"
is still in' place, the Board disagrees that Reclamation should not be identifying and evaluating
potentia1 options and alternatives associated with replacement of the approximately 110,000 acre-feet
of annual flows bypassed to the Cienega de Santa Clara via the Main Outlet Drain and Extension
from the Wellton-MohawkIrrigation and Drainage District. In fact, the Board urges Reclamation
to continue to identify and evaluate all feasible option~ for replacing the bypass flows, and ensuring
that all stakeholders, inc1uding the enviroIimehtal coI$tunity, are kept infoItiled of progress toward
this end. The Board believes that this dialog can be accpmplished through the forum of the Colorado
River Management Work Group. .

Second, the, Board believes that the request for a Solicitors' Opinion regarding this issue is not
warranted. Reclamation must become prepared, wll.en conditions warrant, to either operate the
Yuma Desalting Plant or implement measures to rll'place the. flow in the Main Outlet ,Drain and
Extension, To date, Reclamation is not in a positiorl, to do either one,

Please feel free to contact me if you would like to !liscuss these issues in more detail, or require .
) additional information.
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