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<br />OD1180 <br /> <br /> <br />II. PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES <br /> <br />A. Proposed Action <br /> <br />The proposed action is the promulgation of a new rule to set forth the procedural framework for <br />approval by the Secretary of interstate agreements that would provide for off stream storage of <br />Colorado River water, development, recovery, and use of resulting storage credits, or the <br />interstate redemption of Colorado River water storage credits to authorized entities in other <br />Lower Division States. The proposed rule would provide legal authority for State-authorized <br />entities to enter into interstate storage agreements with authorized entities in other Lower <br />Division States subject to the Secretary's approval. The proposed rule would facilitate the <br />interstate component of the A WBA program and comparable measures that may be enacted in <br />the future by other Lower Division States. <br /> <br />1. No Action Alternative: <br /> <br />j <br /> <br /> <br />i <br />I, <br /> <br />B. Alternatives Analyzed <br /> <br />Entities within each Lower Division State are entitled to consumptively use the quantity of <br />Colorado River water apportioned to that State. In a normal year, 7.5 million acre-feet (maf) is <br />available for consumptive use in the Lower Basin, divided as follows: 2.8 mafto Arizona, 4.4 <br />mafto California, and 0.3 mafto Nevada. California's use has been exceeding its 4.4 mafbasic <br />annual apportionment because the Secretary, in accordance with the Decree, has annually <br />released for consumptive use within California the Colorado River water apportioned to but <br />unused by Arizona and Nevada. However, this past use has not established any rights in the <br />State of California to future use of water in excess of California's annual apportionment of 4.4 <br />mat: <br /> <br />f: <br /> <br />In 1996, AWBA initiated efforts to store Arizona's unused Colorado River water off stream in <br />Arizona and Arizona expects to use its entire 2.8 maf apportionment in 1997 through a <br />combination of direct use and offstream storage. Under this alternative, Colorado River water <br />will continue to be diverted by existing facilities along the Colorado River including the CAP. <br />Arizona will continue to divert and store its unused Colorado River water off stream in existing <br />facilities for its own use. Without the proposed Federal rule, A WBA would be unable to <br />implement the interstate component of the Act and enter into interstate agreements. The AWBA <br />would not be able to store Colorado River water for a State-authorized entity in California or <br />Nevada. No interstate storage credits would be developed in Arizona and as a result no storage <br />credits would be available in Arizona for use or redemption within the other Lower Division <br />States. <br /> <br />Under this alternative, Nevada's consumptive use of Colorado River water will continue to <br />increase and Nevada users are expected to fully utilize Nevada's apportionment by 2004. <br />Nevada will continue to divert its basic apportionment through existing diversion and delivery <br />facilities at Lake Mead. Nevada's diminishing unused apportionment will continue to be subject <br /> <br />LC Region DEAl! <br /> <br />9 <br /> <br />12197 <br /> <br />