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<br />with the Governors of the seven Colorado River Basin States to adopt an <br /> <br />operating criteria by July 1, 1970. <br />The Upper and Lower Division States urged the Secretary of the Interior <br /> <br />to draft operating criteria that would reflect their respective positions. <br /> <br />In a June 1, 1969 letter, the Lower Division States asked the Secretary to <br /> <br />adopt operating criteria that would be similar to the Glen Canyon filling <br /> <br />criteria. <br /> <br />On July 25, 1969, the Bureau of Reclamation released a draft of the <br /> <br />operating criteria. The draft proposed a minimum annual delivery of 8.23 <br /> <br />million acre-feet from Lake Powell and an equalization date of September 30th <br /> <br />for Lake Powell and Lake Mead. <br /> <br />A task force consisting of representatives of the Bureau of Reclamation, <br /> <br />the seven Basin States, and the Upper Colorado River Commission was formed to <br /> <br />examine the draft of the operating criteria. On August 7, 1969 the Task <br /> <br />Force on Operating Criteria for the Colorado River met in Salt Lake City to <br /> <br />allow the States to express their views. The Task Force examined questions <br /> <br />of bank storage, Lower Basin depletions, and terminology. One point of <br /> <br />contention was the proposed minimum release from Lake Powell of 8.23 million <br /> <br />acre-feet per year. The Bureau indicated that the number was selected in <br /> <br />accordance with testimony on the Central Arizona Project..' Both Upper and <br /> <br />Lower Division States strongly disagreed with this number and requested that <br /> <br />it be made clear that the number was not to be interpreted as the releases <br /> <br />required by the Colorado River Compact and the Treaty between the United <br /> <br />States and the Republic of Mexico. <br /> <br />On November 19, 1969, the Upper Colorado River Commission's Engineering <br /> <br />Committee issued a report on the recommended position of the Commission on <br /> <br />the draft of the operating cri teria. The report identified five "Important <br /> <br />7 <br />