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<br />, ,.. . ......
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<br />
<br />No. 240 of the International Boundarv
<br />and Water Commi!>!>ion. Of the
<br />278,000 acre-leel of dplivprv in ellce<;s
<br />of the Treatv"; minimum requirement,
<br />about 207,000 acre-fel'! was cover~
<br />under provisions of the Commission's
<br />Minute No 241, the 1'~73 a~reement
<br />with Mexico, and aboul 72,000
<br />acre-feet was char~eable to
<br />operational control oj Ihe river and 10
<br />U,S. users nol taking order~ \>o.aler,
<br />About 90 percent of thl;' e....cl'Ss
<br />deliveries charge.able to operational
<br />control occurred In August during a
<br />major storm in the lm\er Colorado
<br />area, and consistt'd primarilv of
<br />uncontrollable f100dwalt.'rs, \1inule
<br />1\;0, 240 is describt'd in Ihe Bo.Hd's
<br />1971 Annual Rf'pon and Minute :"<0.
<br />242 is described in the Board's 197]
<br />Annual Report.
<br />The Colorddo River Basin SilliMy
<br />Control Act of 197-1 recognizes
<br />"replacement of lhe reject stream
<br />from the desillting pl,lnt ilnd of ,mv
<br />WelllOn-Mohawk drdinage wdter
<br />b~'pas..t.>d to the Santd ciara Slough
<br />, . as il ndtiondl obligation. . ..'
<br />Sinn> pilssage of the Act, the
<br />following dmount of Woller has bft.n
<br />discharg(>d from the Wellton-\tohilwk
<br />Main Outlet Dr<lin htension belo\>o.
<br />Morf'lm Ddm:
<br />
<br />Pt'rHXi
<br />
<br />;(elm,.>dthmu{lh
<br />l ~ ellton.\ ron".. ~
<br />HODE 1./
<br />Bt"Io.. Hvnw.J'
<br />D.m
<br />r.,kr....r....fl
<br />
<br />JUIW 15--OKemht', 31. 1"~.1
<br />1,,75 Cdlendill Vt',u
<br />197bCdlt"nddll'eal
<br />1,,77 CalendJl Wd'
<br />
<br />113,1>.1;
<br />11.1.72'3
<br />.'05,3Q5
<br />l(lb.6n
<br />
<br />TOldllhroullh 19n
<br />
<br />7.10.591
<br />
<br />The Dt'partment of the Interior's Finill
<br />Environmentdl Sldtement on the Title I
<br />facilities recognize.. thP'<e b\pa....ed
<br />quantities d.. a debit .lgdin..t the water
<br />to be ~akaglo"d bv lining the Coachella
<br />Cmill. The Statement indicates that
<br />crt>dih from the Coacht'lla Canal
<br />lining ~al\age would be u..t><t to oii~t"t
<br />pilst dpbit.., to credit .l~amsl bnne
<br />di!>charge from the future d('<,altmp:
<br />plant, and to dccumulate credits to
<br />ofi..et future bnne di..chafl.;t.'s.
<br />
<br />The 1977 On' redf
<br />
<br />As previouslv noted, thp 197b---77
<br />water veM "PI a new low record for
<br />virgin flow of the Colorado River at
<br />lee Ferrv. This low runoff, following
<br />another !Wlow dverage runoff vear,
<br />CH'dted sev('(t.' demands on the
<br />Colorddo River wstem waler supplies,
<br />In nonht.'rn California, the 1975-76
<br />watN year was the third drie<,l yt.'ar or
<br />record and It wa.. followed bv the
<br />drie"l veM of record in 197&-77, Due
<br />to this ",,1tt'r shortage in northern
<br />California, the State Administralion
<br />asked The '-1etropolitan Water Dit;trin
<br />of Soulhern California to stop taking
<br />deliveries trom the State Watt.'r
<br />Projt'Ct and to increa..e its d{'liveriet;
<br />trom the Colorado River. Pumpin~ oi
<br />State Projfft water over the
<br />Tt'hachapl '-10untains was stopped on
<br />McHCh I, 1977, and \1etropolitan
<br />commenced to pump the maximum
<br />amount possible from the Colorado
<br />Riv€'r. At the same timl', \1etropolitan
<br />lOok \t.'\'t.'ral stpps 10 rt.'duct" its
<br />demand.. for water, A wilter
<br />con<.ervalion program was adoptt.od
<br />providing for surch,Hge penalties to
<br />tho..t' mt>mlx.r agt'ncies unable 10
<br />reduce their denlilnds as \>o.ell as
<br />economic incentive.. to lhose who
<br />
<br />C.,m., dr.IIl' _I" ',nn 0; ,\!r'lropo/,r.:m \\',I(I'!
<br />O"",,!', (o,,,,,,d,, R",l'I ,'\f/uo'duct In '1""'11
<br />,,,,,,,, \IWIJ ,n, "'.1"'(/ p!lmpinl: In mOf"
<br />Ih.m d"lO);:n LIp,J(,t, dU'In!: IJro!lghllo
<br />1ll,1~0' up Inr 10.' (Ii """,rh(,fn C.lljiormol ...,110"
<br />
<br />. ;
<br />
<br />wen> successful in doing so. Delivery
<br />of water for groundwater recharge
<br />was stopped and, wherever possible,
<br />member agencil'S having access to
<br />groundwater supplies increased their
<br />e,.,trilClions to edse the demand on
<br />imponed supplit's. Extensive public
<br />relations campaigns through all media
<br />were milde 10 increase public
<br />awaHmess of the drought and the
<br />nt'lad to conserve watpr. Sf'\'eral cities,
<br />including Los Angele<;, adopted
<br />mandatory rationing. Thl' net re...ult of
<br />,he programs wa... an overall reduction
<br />in water u<,{' in \1etropolitan's ..('r.'ice
<br />area of about 20 percent.
<br />
<br />MaD 1977 Dller~ion.~
<br />
<br />The Mptropolitan Waler District of
<br />Soulhern California notified tht.
<br />Bureau of Rt'Clamation by letter of
<br />March 1-1. 1977, thdt during 1977,
<br />total divt.'rSlons of water for
<br />\1etmpolitan's use would exCt.,tod
<br />1,212,000 acre-ft'f't, the m.1\imum
<br />annudl amount to which it is entilled
<br />under its contract with the United
<br />States. In NO\it'mber, when it
<br />appeared thai Metropolitan would
<br />pump about 1,280,000 acre-feet during
<br />the 1977 calendar year, ,he Chief
<br />Engineer wrote letler~ to the Ari70na
<br />\Vater Commi....ion and to Np\iadd's
<br />Dlvi..ion of Colorildo River Re~ourct.'s
<br />informing them of Ihl~ pmsibilit\" and
<br />pointing oul sevPfal rea~ons ior Ihp
<br />increilst'!f water diversion and whv it
<br />..hould bt> acceptable to all concernPd
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