WSP01659

• File Number: 8282.600.10
• Description: Colorado River Operating Annual Reports
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 1/1/1974
• Author: USDOI/BOR
• Title: Operation of the Colorado River Basin 1974 Projected Operations 1975
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

Beneficial Consumptive Use

UPPER BASIN USES

The three largest categories of depletion
in the Upper Basin are agricultural use within
the drainage basin, diversions for all purposes
to adj.cent drainage basins, and evaporation
losses from all reservoirs.
During water year 1974, agriculture and
M&I uses in the Upper Basin are estimated to
have been about 2,100,000 acre-feet due to
below normal runoff a bove points of diversion
in the San Juan and parts of the main stem
Colorado River drainage areas. About 569,000
acre-feet were diverted to adjacent drainage
basins and 615,000 acre-feet were evaporated
from main stem reservoirs in the Upper Basin.
An additional 150,000 acre-feet are estimated
as ewporation from other reservoirs and
stock ponds in the Upper Colorado Basin.
Water is being stored in the Upper Basin
reservoirs and will be released to the Lower
Basin as specified by Section 602(a) of Public
Law 90-537 and the laws, compacts, and
treaties upon which Section 602(a) is based.

LOWER BASIN USES AND LOSSES

Releases of 7,283,000 acre-feet from Lake
Havasu during water year 1974 were made to
meet the requirements for water deliveries at
Imperial Dam as well as those of the
Colorado River Indian Reservation near Parker,
Arizona, the Palo Verde Irrigation District near
Blythe, California, other miscellaneous users
along the river, and transit losses between
Parker Dam and Imperial Dam. Deliveries to
Mexico consisted of river water delivered to

Imperial Dam and waste and drainage return
f10ws from water users below Imperial Dam.
The small regulatory waste of 6,009 acre-feet
was the result of beneficially using the small
amount of regulatory storage space in Imperial,
Laguna, and Senator Wash Reservoirs.
The major water diversion above Parker
Dam was by Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California. Metropolitan Water
District pumped 1,145,000 acre-feet from Lake
Havasu during water year 1974. Releases of
8,914,000 acre-feet were made from Lake
Mohave during water year 1974 to meet the
requirements for releases at Parker Dam,
diversions to Metropolitan Water District,
diversions to contractors for small uses,
diversions to other miscellaneous users, along
with quantities to offset evaporation and other
transit losses between Davis and Parker Dams
and to maintain the scheduled levels of Lake
Havasu.
Releases of 8,847,000 acre-feet were made
from Lake Mead at Hoover Dam during water
year 1974 to regulate the levels of Lake Mohave
and to provide for the small uses and the losses
from that reservoir. In addition there were
86,400 acre-feet diverted from Lake Mead for
use by Lake Mead National Recreation Area,
Boulder City, Basic Management, Inc., and
contractors of the Division of Colorado River
Resources. The total releases and diversions
from Lake Mead during water year 1974 were
8,933,000 acre-feet.

Water for sugar beets in Grand Valley. Colorado
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