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<br />001182 <br /> <br />ill. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEOUENCES <br /> <br />A. Affected Area <br /> <br />LC Region DEAll <br /> <br />1\ <br /> <br />12197 <br /> <br /> <br />The affected geographic area includes the mainstream of the lower Colorado River from the <br />upper end of Lake Mead at Pierce Ferry to the Southerly International Boundary with Mexico <br />and those portions of the Lower Division States. served by Colorado River water through water <br />delivery contracts executed by the Secretary (Figures I and 2). <br /> <br />B. River Manal!ement Environment <br /> <br />1. River ODerations <br /> <br />The Secretary, through Reclamation, operates the Colorado River in the Lower Basin, consistent <br />with applicable criteria, including the BCP A, the Decree, and the "Criteria for Coordinated <br />Long-Range Operation of the Colorado River Reservoirs Pursuant to the Colorado River Basin <br />Project Act of September 30, 1968." In a normal year, 7.5 mafis available for consumptive use <br />in the Lower Basin, divided as fo\1ows: 2.8 mafto Arizona, 4.4 mafto California, and 0.3 mafto <br />Nevada. California's use has been exceeding its 4.4 mafbasic annual apportionment because the <br />Secretary, in accordance with the Decree, has annually released for consumptive use within <br />California the Colorado River water apportioned to but unused by Arizona and Nevada. <br />However, this past use has not established any rights in the State of California to future use of <br />water in excess of California's annual apportionment of 4.4 maf <br /> <br />Annual releases and diversions for the lower Colorado River are shown in Figure 3. Operating <br />criteria for meeting water diversions and delivery requests are expected to remain the same on <br />the lower Colorado River from Lake Mead to Mexico with and without the proposed rule. <br /> <br />Nearly all of Nevada's consumptive use apportionment 0000,000 afis diverted through the <br />Saddle Island Intakes and pumping plants on Lake Mead into the SNWS which supplies the <br />Las Vegas, Nevada area. Under the proposed rule storage credits redeemed by an authorized <br />Nevada entity would likely use these existing facilities or existing facilities in the Laughlin, <br />Nevada area. <br /> <br />All deliveries for the CAP in Arizona are made through the CAP aqueduct system after diversion <br />from Lake Havasu via the Havasu Pumping Plant upstream from Parker Dam. Under the <br />proposed rule, water diverted and stored by Arizona for authorized entities in California or <br />Nevada would use these existing facilities. <br /> <br />Most of California's apportionment of Colorado River water is diverted from the mainstream at <br />three main locations: 1) from Lake Havasu by MWD facilities into the Colorado River <br />Aqueduct for use in southern California, 2) at the Palo Verde Diversion Dam into the Palo Verde <br />Irrigation District system near Blythe, California, and 3) at Imperial Dam into the All American <br />Canal, north of Yuma, Arizona, for use in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys in Southern <br /> <br />