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<br />through 1994 are shown in Appendix I. These projections are <br />fairly stable through the budget period. FY 1990 costs are <br />slightly higher because of additional funds required for <br />programming and implementing an automated power billing <br />procedure in Western's Loveland Area Office. <br /> <br />The annual O&M expense estimate for FYs 1990 through 1994 is <br />taken from Western's and Reclamation's FY 1990 Congressional <br />budgets. The FYs 1995 through 2080 O&M estimates are an <br />average of 5 years of historic data (FYs 1984 - 1988), <br />converted to a current (FY 1989) price level by the Reclamation <br />O&M index; the current FY 1989 budgeted O&M; and the future <br />5-year budgeted (FYs 1990-1994) O&M costs. <br /> <br />a. Glen Canyon Environmental Studies. The operating <br />standards for the Upper Colorado River stipulate that <br />Reclamation will release at least 8.3 million acre-feet of <br />water annually from the CRSP reservoirs for use in the <br />Lower Basin. The standards also provide for a summer <br />(Easter to Labor Oay) minimum release of 3,000 cubic feet <br />per second (cfs) and a winter minimum release of 1,000 cfs <br />through Glen Canyon Dam. The maximum release through the <br />dam is 31,500 cfs. There has been growing concern that <br />these flows are damaging the Lower Colorado River <br />streambed and the plant and animal life it supports. <br /> <br />The Glen Canyon Environmental Studies (GCES) are a <br />multiagency effort to analyze the impact of Glen Canyon <br />Dam operations on the environmental, recreational, and <br />commercial resources of the lower Colorado River. <br /> <br />The first study, referred to as Phase I, concluded in <br />September 1987. It was done under adverse water <br />conditions, in a dry year, preventing a thorough study. <br />It focused on the environmental and recreational aspects <br />of dam operations. A review of the study by the National <br />Academy of Sciences pointed up the need for more <br />comprehensive data. A new study, Phase II, charged with <br />gathering that information, is now under way. <br /> <br />Concurrently with these studies, the Secretary of Interior <br />decided to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) <br />for Glen Canyon Dam operations. Phase II of the GCES will <br />coincide with preparation of the EIS. <br /> <br />Because cost information was not available when <br />Reclamation prepared its FY 1990 Congressional Budget, no <br />future study expenses were included in the FY 1989 CRSP <br />Preliminary PRS. In past years, the annual study costs <br />assigned to power averaged approximately $1 million. <br />These costs will be included in Reclamation's FY 1991 <br />Congressional Budget. The FY 1989 CRSP Final PRS may <br />contain an annual GCES cost to power of $1 million for <br />FYs 1990 through 1994. <br /> <br />13 <br />