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<br />00314 7 Page 46 <br /> <br />evaporation to increase. Without flood control evacuations, outflows to Mexico <br /> <br />decreased while net reservoir contents increased. The most important change was <br /> <br />to reduce MWD shortages by 209,000 acre-feet annually. <br /> <br />Shortages were more widespread under the full development conditions (Table <br /> <br />IV-2). The effects of removing institutional constraints were to decrease <br /> <br />average annual evaporation by 116,000 acre-feet, to decrease average annual <br /> <br />outflows by 202,000 acre-feet (outflows are still in excess of treaty <br /> <br />, <br />obligations), to increase the average annual drop in reservoir contents by <br /> <br />76,000 acre-feet, and to reduce projected average annual Lower Division <br /> <br />shortages from 644,000 to 109,000 acre-feet. Notably, this 535,000 acre-foot <br /> <br />reduction in Lower Division shortages came at the expense of an increase of only <br /> <br />140,000 acre-feet in Upper Division shortages, which reflects the consequences <br /> <br />of more efficient system operation and resultant decreased outflows and <br /> <br />evaporation. <br /> <br />These changes were largely due to elimination of the consideration of <br /> <br />compacts and court decisions which cause the Secretary of the Interior to store <br /> <br />water in Lake Powell rather than release it to meet excess California demands. <br /> <br />This stored water is then available to meet delivery obligations to the Lower <br /> <br />Basin in the event of increased Upper Basin usage or low run-off conditions, one <br /> <br />aspect of existing institutional arrangements. A result is an increase in <br /> <br />overall net withdrawal from storage . This increase amounted to some 60 MAF over <br /> <br />the study period. <br />