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<br />00153~ <br /> <br />the war. <br /> <br />.' <br />f~ <br /> <br />The Colorado River Basin Project Act, approved September 3D, <br /> <br />1968, 82 'Stat. 885, authorized the construction of the Central <br /> <br />,. <br /> <br />Arizona Project in the Lower Basin and participating projects in <br /> <br />the Upper Basin. <br /> <br />The Act also requires the Secretary of the <br /> <br />Interior to promulgate criteria for the c.oordinated long-range <br /> <br />( <br /> <br />operation of the Colorado River reservoirs. <br /> <br />The "Cri teria for <br /> <br />coordinated long-range operation of Colorado River Reservoirs," <br /> <br />promulgated on June 8, 1970, specify how .the Secretary of the <br /> <br />.Interior will operate the Colorado River reservoirs in general and <br /> <br />Lakes Powell and Mead in particular. <br /> <br />The Opera.ting Cri teria <br /> <br />require a minimum objective release from Lake Powell of 8.23 maf <br /> <br />annually, provide for protection of "602(a) Storage Levels" at Lake <br /> <br />Powell, and describe "shortage," "normal" and "surplus" conditions <br /> <br />at Lake Mead. <br /> <br />Colorado River waters controlled by these federal laws <br /> <br />contributed greatly to the surge in population growth and wealth <br /> <br />which have taken place in Arizona and Southern California over the <br /> <br />past seventy years. <br /> <br />These facilities have assured that the <br /> <br />allocation of Colorado River waters secured to the Lower Basin in <br /> <br />1922 would be used for bqth irrigation and M & I purposes. <br /> <br />California now utilizes 5,200,000 acre-feet of water off the <br /> <br />Colorado River, its 4,400,000 allocation secured in Arizona Y. <br /> <br />California, 373 U.S. 546 (1963) and 800,000 of Arizona's 2,800,000 <br /> <br />7 <br />