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<br /> <br />Page 4 <br /> <br />Negotiations are continuing. The National Park Service has offered a stipulation, intended to <br />encourage pro se objectors to withdraw their statements of opposition, that subordinates its water <br />right to decreed water rights senior to the Aspinall Unit and to the 60,000 acre-feet of in-basin <br />uses covered by the Aspinall Subordination Agreement. Several pro se objectors have signed <br />this stipulation. The current stay expires April 7th. The Park Service would like to reach an <br />agreement in principle, at least in rough form, before then. <br /> <br />12. Forest Service "Errata" for the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests Mana!:ement <br />Plan. <br /> <br />The Forest Service issued so-called "errata" to these national forest plans, but these were <br />actually substantive changes to the plans in disguise -- including one change relating to the <br />imposition of bypass flows. These "errata" appear to be invalid because the Forest Service did <br />not comply with the public notice and collaboration requirements for amending forest <br />management plans. On January 29th, we sent the Forest Service a letter requesting that it <br />withdraw the errata within 30 days or we would take appropriate legal action. The deputy <br />regional attorney advised us that the Washington, D. C. office is reviewing the forest plan and <br />will be making a decision on the errata soon, but he couldn't give us a firm date. Therefore, <br />we are drafting a complaint. <br /> <br />13. Colorado River. <br /> <br />The Imperial Irrigation District (lID) did not meet the Department of the Interior's December <br />31 deadline to accept the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) reached among all other <br />southern California users of Colorado River water. Instead they proposed their own agreement <br />at the eleventh hour that was not satisfactory to either DOl or the other patiies to the QSA. <br />Secretary ofthe Interior Gale Norton announced that 2003 would be a "normal".water year - i.e. <br />no surplus declaration - and that DOl would limit its deliveries to California to 4.4 million acre- <br />feet (mat) and would not allow any surplus water to be delivered. DOl also rejected lID's <br />request for 3.1 maf, limited nD to approximately 2.8 maf and split the additional 0.3 maf <br />between MWD and Coachella Valley Water District. On January 11, lID filed suit against DOl <br />in federal court claiming that although the Secretary may have the right to limit California to 4.4 <br />mafin a normal year, the Secretary was without authority to reduce lID's water rights or re- <br />arrange the intrastate priorities within California. The court ruled in lID's favor, issuing an <br />injunction prohibiting Interior from cutting back deliveries. The California entities have <br />agreed to a new QSA, which they've presented to Interior. <br />