WSP01522

• File Number: 8210.140.20
• Description: Colorado River Basin Organizations and Entities - Colorado River Basin States Forum - California
• State: CA
• Basin: Western Slope
• Date: 1/1/1979
• Author: Myron B Holburt
• Title: Annual Report for the Calendar Year 1978
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Annual Report

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Two contr<lct~ Wf'fl" awarded
totalling $33_6 million lor con!.truction
of the 20.2-mil~.long Pium.m lateral
on the Sl"Cond Stage of the Southern
,'\'ehJda Wafer Project and a S 14, 1
million contract for the construction
of three pumping plant~ and tht>
modification of ,1n e'll!.tmg pumping
plant.
A S 15.4 million contract was
awarded for constructiQn Qf the first
33 miles of conn~te-Imed canal to
replace an unlint'd section oj the
Co..1ChellJ CanJI. This IS discussed
further under "Salinity \-1easures for
Mexico".
Two CQntracts tDlalling about $27,9
million were awarded for the
purchase of mE'mbrane desalting
equipment for the )'um.l Oe.'iJltinR
Plant. This is discussed further undt'r
"Salinity Measures for Mexico",
The California Energy Commis~ion,
on February 15. 1978. approved the
Notice of Intent for the Sundes('rt
Nuclear Project, lor one unit of the
proposed multiple unit project, subject
to conditions and modifications ~et
forth in an apptmdix to thl' dl"Cision.
This decision, with its conditions and
mQdificatiQn~, superseded the
recommendations in the CommissiQn's
Final Report, on which hearing~ were
held in December 1977,
Because of thl' mdny co",ly
restrictions and conditions impo<,pd b~
this dl'Cision, the San Diego Gas and
Electric Company decided to abandon
further work upon this project at thi~
time. In late 1978, the Department of
the Interior approved the Company's
water supply plans.

ll/edther Modification Actil'itie>;

The Bureau of Reclamation
continued its planning for the
proposed Colorado River We,lther
Modification Demonstration Projfft.
The Bureau pl<lns to retain outside
consultants to prepdre the design and
plans for the initial stages of
operations for the Project, and will
revise the desiftn and oper alians as
the project progresse<. in order !O
maximize its effecti\eness. While
completion oi all phase<. outlined for

the program would take until the
mid-1990.s, the program contemplates
that suificit'nt information WQuld be
available by the mid-1980's in order
to arrivt' at a firm dt'Cision as to the
feasibih1\' of augmenting Ihf.> Colorado
River bv \wather modiiication. Tht>
Color ado Ri\ er Board supported a
write-in appropodtlon of $500.0<Xl for
the ProJl'Ct in thp fiscal vear 1979
budget and letter., of !.upport \'o.'ere
..ent to California's Senators and
Con~re<.smen.
A report entitled "The Managem~nt
of \Veather ResourCl><;.' prepared bv
thl' federal Weather Modification
Advisory Board was revit'wt'<j by the
Colorado River Board stafL This
Advisory Board was appointt:>d by the
Secretarv of Commerce in 1977.
pursuant to P.l. 94-490, to conduct a
comprehensive investigation oj the
state of scientific knowlt'<lge
cQncerning weather modification in
order to develop a nalional policy and
program of re<>earch and
development. The ft'port re<lches
pOSitive conclusions regcHding the
possiblity of increasing precipitation
bv cloud se-eding on western
orographic clouds. but concludes that
dt.tdiled operational projects need 10
be conductro in order to verify the"",
conclusions, The report strongly'
supports the Bureau of Reclamation's
wt>ather modification demon~tration
program for the Colorado River Basin.
A 20-year program is recommended,
including a first-year appropriation of
$37 million increasing to $90 million
by the fifth year, which would Include
full funding for th", Colorado River
Weather 'vlodifiCdtion Demonstration
ProjPCI.

Vf>8etaflon ,\fan.Jgement for
Incrt',Hed U~'ter Yield

The Board staff reviewed a draft
report entitled '.Vt'fletation
M,magement for \\' ater Yield
ImprO\'ement in the Colorado Ri\er
Basin", preparro bv the U.S. Forest
Service for tht> P.leiiic Southwest
Inter.Agency Comminee. In a It..'ter oj

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comment, the Staff recommended that
additional ie,lsibility level studies
should be conducted, and in the..e
..tudies close coordination should be
developed \\'ith the Bureau of
Reclamation's Colorado Rivf:'r weather
modiiication augmentation studiE><; to
obtain iull benefits from the
synergistiC pffects of simultaneous
cloud-seeding and veget.1tion
management activities that were
identifi(>d in thl' report.

lower Colorado River
Management Program

The Federal-State Lower Colorado
Riv('r Managt'ment Program Work
Group met twin- during 1978 to
continue coordination of problems of
river control, channelization, and
environmpntal pre..ervation and
enhancement. The Coordinating
Committee did not meet durinR the
year. The functions of the~e groups
haw bel'n de~cribed In the Colmado
River Board.s previou~ Annual
Repom.
During 1978, the California
Department of Fi~h and G<lme
propospd to develop a b,Kkwater at
Bl'al Slou~h on the California side of
the Colorado River betwt'E'n ,-..;t:'t>dles
and Topock. It would involve a
cooperative eHort of federal, state,
and local a~wncies and \vould consist
of Ihrep phase~: dredging about 30
acres to deepen the backwater at low
river stagps, improvement of habitat
for fish and wildlife, and development
of recreational facilities. The propo~l
was approved b... the Work Croup
aftpr a hydrologic analysis was
prepdred ..ho.... ing that no net increa.,e
in water use would occur. The Bureau
of Reclamation's dredge will begin the
dredging phase oi the work in parlv
1979.
Al..o during 1978, the Work Group
approved construction of artificial
reefs to improve fish habitat in Lake
Havasu and Colorado River