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000302 6~3cP. IOC).( I... United States Department of the Interior IN REPLY REFER TO; BUREAU OF RECLAMATION Lower Colorado Regional Office P.O. Box 61470 Boulder City. NY 89006-1470 BCOO-4632 WTR-4.10 SEP 1 8 \997. RECEIVED SEP 24 1997 CcIorado Waler Con.""",tiOll aoarcl To: All Interested Persons Subject: "Compilation of Records in Accordance with Article V of the Decree of the Supreme Court of the United States in Arizona v. California Dated March 9, 1964" Enclosed is the compilation of records for calendar year 1996 for the mainstream of the Colorado River downstream from Lees Ferry, including the reservoirs thereon and deliveries to Mexico. These records are prepared in accordance with articles V, V(A), V(B), V(C), V(D), and V(E) of the decree of the Supreme Court of the United States in Arizona v. California, dated March g, 1964, as supplemented or amended. Detailed compilations and original records furnished by water users, the Geological Survey, our area offices, and other appropriate entities, as well as quantity computations and documented methodologies are available for inspection by interested persons during normal office hours of the Boulder Canyon Operations Office in Boulder City, Nevada. Based upon requests, duplicate copies of these records may be made available for inspection at additional locations convenient to interested persons. We note that the records for 1996 show that the lower Colorado River basin's basic apportionment of 7.5 million acre-feet (maf) was exceeded. Our records indicate the water use in the lower basin in 1996 to be about 8.03 maf. According to Reclamation's July 24, 1996, letter to the governors of the basin States, regarding the "Revised Determination for Operation of Lake Mead During Calendar Year 1996," a condition of surplus water was determined. This condition warrants ". . .the delivery of additional mainstream Colorado River water to users in the Lower Division States pursuant to valid contracts or entitlements." Hence, the requirement for compensation for overuse in the 1996 Annual Operating Plan (AOP) which was issued on December 15, 1995, will not apply to water used during calendar year 1996. The enclosed compilation of records. utilized the standard methodology for consumptive use determinations. We are in the process of reporting on our evaluation of the alternative accounting methodology developed by the Geological Survey titled the Lower Colorado River Accounting System (LCRAS). This methodology combines a water budget with direct calculation of plant evapotranspiration to directly calculate agricultural consumptive use. Reclamation is developing a public involvement process to allow interested users the opportunity to gain an understanding of how LCRAS works, see what