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<br />00165'J
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<br />April 13, 1992
<br />Issue No. 934
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<br />WESTERN ~ ~~R[ctv~~'
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<br />APR 21. I
<br />STATES WATER~ cwcs
<br />IS'
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<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
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<br />WESTERN STATES WATER COUNCIL
<br />
<br />Quarterly Meetings
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<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.
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<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.
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<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
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<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.
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<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
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