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<br />. <br /> <br /> <br />00165'J <br /> <br />April 13, 1992 <br />Issue No. 934 <br /> <br />WESTERN ~ ~~R[ctv~~' <br /> <br />APR 21. I <br />STATES WATER~ cwcs <br />IS' <br /> <br /> <br />TIIE WEEKLY NEWSIEITER OF TIIE WESTERN STATES WATER COUNCIL <br /> <br />editor - Tony Willardson <br /> <br />Creekvi... Ptaza. Suite A-201 I 942 East 7145 So. I Midvate. Utah 84047 I (801) 561-5300 I FAX (801) 255-9642 <br /> <br />chairman - William H. Young <br /> <br />typist <br /> <br />carrie curvin <br /> <br />WESTERN STATES WATER COUNCIL <br /> <br />Quarterly Meetings <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The Western States Water Council held its 106th <br />quarterly meetings in Portland, Oregon on April 8-10. <br />On Wednesday afternoon, the state of Oregon and <br />U,S. Army Corps of Engineers hosted a tour of <br />Bonneville Dam, including its second powerhouse and <br />upstream and downstream fish passage facilities. <br />The tour prefaced later discussions on the Columbia <br />River system and the listing of some salmon as <br />endangered species. <br /> <br />On Wednesday evening a subcommittee met and <br />reviewed federal legislation on national energy policy, <br />as well as continuing discussions with the Federal <br />Energy Regulatory Commission regarding federal <br />hydropower licensing and state water management <br />and water rights administration processes. An effort <br />to draft a memorandum of agreement between FERC <br />and states was discussed. Also on Wednesday, the <br />Water Policy Seminar subcommittee reviewed plans <br />to meet in Washington, D.C. on April 21-23, 1993. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Thursday morning, the Water Resources <br />Committee met and addressed many issues. It <br />recommended a Council position on dam safety that <br />was later adopted. The committee next addressed <br />various water policy initiatives, including Senator Mark <br />Hatfield's (R-OR) bill on western water policy review <br />(S, 1228; WSW #931), an ICWP roundtable rNSW <br />#928), a series of WGA/WSWC workshops, and <br />activities of the Advisory Commission on <br />Intergovernmental Relations. The Committee also <br />reviewed the status of omnibus reclamation legislation <br />rNSW #933), including Senator Tim Wirth's (D-CO) <br />successful amendment adding S. 1812, the San Luis <br />Valley Protection Act rNSW #921), which the Council <br />opposes. The committee also heard a report on <br /> <br />executive director - Craig Bell <br /> <br />FERC subcommittee activities, discussed an ongoing <br />state water conservation program study, and noted a <br />new contract has been signed with the Bureau of <br />Reclamation to review its ground water recharge <br />demonstration program. The Committee reviewed <br />state water use fees, including proposed legislation in <br />Alaska and a draft policy report from Oregon. <br /> <br />Further, Dave Johnson, Soil Conservation Service, <br />presented the committee with the most recent <br />westwide information regarding precipitation, <br />snowpack, reservoir storage, and streamflow <br />forecasts, Much of the West continues to suffer <br />through a sixth year of drought, with some exceptions <br />in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. Bill <br />McDonald, Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of <br />Reclamation for Resources Management, discussed <br />new federal authorities under the Reclamation States <br />Emergency Drought Relief Act (H,R. 355; P.L 102- <br />250), which provides the Secretary of Interior with <br />greater flexibility in operating federal projects to meet <br />critical needs during drought. It also creates a long- <br />term drought contingency planning program rNSW <br />#927). Of note, the bill directs the Secretary of <br />Interior to conduct a precipitation management <br />technology transfer program, The Council supports <br />the program, and recently wrote House and Senate <br />appropriation committees requesting funding, <br /> <br />The Water Quality Committee began by discussing <br />the celebration of 1992 as the Year of Clean Water, <br />with Jay Pitkin, Utah Division of Water Quality, leading <br />an interchange of ideas regarding appropriate state <br />activities. Next, Gary Hanson, Washington <br />Department of Ecology, recommended a related <br />resolution for the Council's approval. The Committee <br />also discussed watershed protection, with Lydia <br />Taylor, Oregon Division of Water Quality, describing <br />the watershed protection initiative of the Association <br />of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control <br />