WSPC01835

• File Number: 8200.500
• Description: Colorado River - Colorado River Basin - Colorado River Basin General Strategy
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 4/28/1983
• Author: Robert A Jones
• Title: Water Agencies Ponder Benefits of Surpluses
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: News Article/Press Release

.'

.

nOt iG',

, .
~05 Angeles W~mcs I

Thursday, April ]8, 1983

, ',. I
..
1P~j)]rilerl

Agemlclles

JR "'. .. '-' ~
,p')i1)D.1'TIrQ ((1;ii .~~111i"n,lnr,Qf~;;::
........\.l.!4\..,.~....~_J.....) "'-/_ ........1~.1l. .h.v.....~u_'J..:)

Colorado Riler HunoIT Presents Officiuls With
u Pleusunl Dilemmu; CosI SUliugs Called Li!(ely

"W@ter

By ROBERT A JONES: Tp'ilt'! Slafj H'nft'r

For the third time in five years, a
vIrtual flood of \'.'.lIer is pourinz;
down the Colorada Hi\'cr Ihls
spring. fed by SOme of the hl'avlesl
winter snowfalls on record At Hoo-
vcr Dam, the outlH for ukc ;.l(\ld.
the ~pillways 3fe :"unnlll;; on over.
lime, and so much wall't 1$ nowmg
through the flyer'S JOwl'r (('aches
lha~ no ont'-nclther California
Arizona, nor any other stale-can
uscitalJ.

This cornUCOplJ of water IS un-
usual in ::l normally thlr~lY South-
wesl; in most ;"(,3rs \'lrlualiy every
drop of Wolter IS sucked out of ttw
Colorado before it emplles into
~!eXlco's Gulf of C;'Ilifornia. Bul the
r('peated surpluses In r('cent )'ear~
have mea:1t that ml!lIons of acre-
feet of wall'f h:lve ghdt'd unu~ed tl)
lhe sea as water :I;enea,'s throu,l;:h,
out S~'rJtt.cr:i Callrornl~ h.n:(' t"X'_
hausted the-:r storage SpJ{'t'

Complu Trad...

These exel'SS flows, ,dc.ng wilh
the prosp<'C.l:; of even morc In future-
ycars. are r.:;;w lc~dlnri thc "'..ller
agencIes m~o a majOr rearpr.lIS.l! of
the way Callform.1 m:l\.:cs use or IlS
rIghts to W.1ler from the Colorado.
At the ~fctrorohlan \\'.lIN Dls-
lriel. fOr cXJmplc. officl.lls now are-
organizmg J comple':'\; 1r,lue with a
descn farm dlstnct Ih.1t would
en.lble them to t.lke and store .In
amount of walcr Nlual to two-thirds
of what tht' ~,!WD nIlrmally pUrr:ps
from ~h(' nVcr in a )iear.
ThIS '....;ner. in ('Hecl. .....ould be
"b.1nked" In In undcrs::raund b:lsln
within lhe farm dL~lnct :l{;.1lnst
(uture d~ol..:"tH ye,Jr$ .... hen nelthcr
the COIOf.1'JO nor the Sl..1te Water
ProJ('(t- the t.':::".o pnr:.Clp,lI ~ources

of Water lor Southern Cahforma-
could dellnf SurilllenlsUpplies.
"We;:Jre workmg like' :11:J-t tobein
a poslllOn to gel <I chunk of any
future surplus;;,s," :i'-wi na~'e Kcn~
ncd)', ass:slant gl'n('~.ll maT1.1ger of
the ~I\\'n. "\\'IIl'n the' (drought)
crunch COlnes, 1l could make all the
dlffcfence 10 hJ~'e thJl .....ater In
storage:' I
The prr'serwc (Jf f('/I('.:.I(I"1;f sur.
rhl.se's IS 01:1... 011(' d ;~'\":f;rl ue....el