BOARD02469

• Board Meeting Date: 7/18/2005
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Reclamation Directed to Develop Additional Strategies on Operation of Lake
Powell: On June 15, the Interior Secretary directed Reclamation to develop additional
Colorado River management strategies to address operations of Lake Powell and Lake
Mead under low reservoir conditions. Reclamation anticipates that, among other
potential elements, these strategies could identify those circumstances under which the
Department of the Interior (DOl) would reduce annual water deliveries and the manner in
which annual operations would be modified.

The Annual Operating Plan - developed in consultation with the Basin States, water and
power users, Tribes, environmental and recreational groups and other interested parties -
guides operation of the Colorado River. Among other elements, it specifies whether the
amount of Colorado River water available to be released from Lake Mead to Lower Basin
users in a given year will be "normal" (7.5 million acre-feet), "surplus" (more than 7.5
million acre-feet) or "shortage" (less than 7.5 million acre-feet).

Interim Surplus Guidelines were adopted in 2001 for use in making annual
determinations regarding "normal" and "surplus" conditions. Those guidelines allow the
Department and entities in Arizona, California, and Nevada to have greater predictability
in identifying when more than 7.5 maf of Colorado River water will be available for use
within these three states.

Adoption of detailed guidelines for making "shortage" determinations would enable
water users in the three states to identify reservoir conditions under which less than 7.5
maf would be available for use on an annual basis, as well as the amount of any potential
future annual reductions in water deliveries. This would allow these users to better plan
for periods ofless than full water deliveries. Additional operational tools may also
facilitate conservation of reservoir storage, minimizing the adverse effects of long-term
drought or low-reservoir conditions in the Colorado River Basin.

Two public meetings will be held to solicit comments on the content, format, mechanism
and analysis to be considered during the development of these management strategies.
Oral and written comments will be accepted at the public meetings to be held at the
following locations:

Tuesday, July 26, 2005, Henderson, Nevada;
Thursday, July 28, 2005, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Written comments on the proposed development of these strategies may be sent by close
of business on Wednesday, August 31, 2005 to: Regional Director, Bureau of
Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region, Attention: BCOO-IOOO, P.O. Box 61470, Boulder
City, Nevada 89006-1470; fax at 702-293-8156; or e-mail at strate\![e-mail].20v;
and/or Regional Director, Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region, Attention:
UC-402, 125 South State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84318-1147; fax at 801-524-3858;
or e-mail at [e-mail].

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