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<br />. <br /> <br />-.-- - <br /> <br />PROTECfION OF EXISTING RIGHTS <br /> <br />Colorado River Water Reoort <br /> <br />During February 1997, storage in the major Upper Basin reservoirs decreased by 834,000 <br />acre-feet and storage in the Lower Basin reservoirs increased by 159,000 acre-feet. Total System <br />active storage at the end of February was 49.070 million acre-feet (mat) which is 1.289 mafless than <br />one year ago. <br /> <br />March releases from Hoover, Davis, and Parker Dams averaged 19,080, 17,830 and 14,240, <br />cubic feet per second (cfs), respectively. Planned releases from those three dams for the month of <br />April are 20,000, 19,340, and 19,340 cfs, respectively. The April planned releases represent <br />downstream water requirements. From January 17th through mid-March releases above downstream <br />requirements were made to fulfill flood-control space building requirements in Lake Mead. <br /> <br />The final April 4 forecast for April through July unregulated inflow to Lake Powell is 11.000 <br />maf, which is 142 percent of the 3D-year average for the period 1961-1990. The inflow to Lake <br />Powell for the 1996-97 water year is expected to be 15.695 maf, or 134 percent of the 30-year <br />average. <br /> <br />The Lower Division states' estimated conswnptive use of Colorado River water for calendar <br />year 1997, as estimated by Board staff, totals 8.429 maf and is projected as follows; Arizona, <br />2.989 maf; California, 5.179 maf; Nevada, 0.261 maf. Estimated additional unmeasured return flow <br />credits of 0.269 mafwould reduce the total amount to 8.160 maf. For calendar year 1997, the <br />Central Arizona Project (CAP) is projected to divert 1.414 maf and The Metropolitan Water District <br />of Southern California (MWD) 1.244 maf. <br /> <br />The preliminary April 1 st estimate of the 1997 end-of-year California agricultural <br />consumptive use of Colorado River water under the first three priorities of the 1931 California Seve,n <br />Party Agreement is 3.876 mar. This estimate is based on the collective use through March 1997 by <br />the Palo Verde Irrigation District, the Yuma Project Reservation Division, the Imperiallrrigation <br />District, and the Coachella Valley Water District. Figure I, bound at the end of this report, depicts <br />the monthly forecasts of end-of-year agricultural use since the beginning of the year. <br /> <br />Colorado River Onerations <br /> <br />Last month I reported that the Basin states had agreed to allow Commissioner Martinez to <br />inform Mexico that it could schedule an additional 200,000 af of surplus water during calendar year <br />1997. During our discussion there were some questions related to the methodology for Mexico to <br />revise its water delivery. Included in the Board folder are copies of Mexico's two recent requests <br />to adjust its water delivery schedule as a result of that determination. <br /> <br />2 <br />