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<br />. t1 . - <br />J.'\.I" <br />for termination of the Criteria by <br />S€'Crelarial dt"Clafation. <br /> <br />On June 22, 1980, lake Po.....ell <br />reached elevation 3,700 fff!. By letter <br />dated June 25, 1980, to Governor <br />Brown, with similar letters to the <br />governors of thl' othpr sill, Colorado <br />Ri.....er Basin statps, Sffretary Andrus <br />stated that sincp Lake Pm..ell had <br />reached elevation 3,700 ippt and that <br />Lakp Mead was then ill t'1t'vation <br />1,201 ft't't. the "General Governing <br />and Operating Cnteria During Lake <br />Powell Filling Ppriod" promulR<1lt"{i on <br />July 12, 1%2 werp thereby terminated_ <br /> <br />Colorado Rller Re..t'flOlr~ <br />Oper.11ing Crilf'fld <br /> <br />The crileria for coordindted <br />long-range operation of the re"t'rvoir.. <br />of the Colorado River. promulgdlf:'li <br />by the St"uetary of tht, Interior on <br />June 10, 1970, pursu.mt 10 the <br />COlorddo River Ba...in ProW<:t Au of <br />1968, provide that lht> Se'Cfetdfv shdll <br />,>ponsor a formal (f'V;('W of the crilPria <br />f'Vl'ry five yf'ar.... Thf> Id"t formal <br />rt'view was in 1975. <br /> <br />In July 1980, Secrt'tdf~' of lhp <br />Int!:'rior Cffil Andru,> "en( d It'Upr 10 <br />Governor Bro...m and simil.H lettt'fs 10 <br />lhe governors of lhe other si, <br />Colorado River B.lsin ,>talps, referrin~ <br />to this fivt'-yt'iH revi(>w rfOquiremt'nl nl <br />the crilt'riCl. Tht' lettt'r ..tJlt'd th,lt lhprt' <br />was a nt't.>d to rpVlt'W and refine <br />opt"rdting rule... and stratt'!o1It">, <br />p,micularlv 10 con..idNatlon of thp <br />essenlidlly full condition of thp <br />Colorado River Basin re...efvoir,>_ The <br />Board's Chit"f Engint"t'f wa.. dt'...ignJtt>d <br />to be California's represPnlali\e for <br />the formdl revie\.. 01 tht' crlterid. <br /> <br />The Chief En!o1lOPt'r coordlOaltod <br />with Arizon.! ,lnd :\.e\ add <br />represt'ntativ'l;'<, to dchle\e a common <br />lowt'r B.l"in "tdle'" po...ition on lhe <br />issues and st'nt a 1t'lIer d.lted Augu<"! <br />28, 1980 to Water dnd Pm\pr <br />Resources St"f\icp's Commi......loner <br />Keith Higgmson. Tlw Chle! Engin€'t'r', <br />leltt'r st,ned that a iormdl rev It'\', oi <br />the criteria \\as not nl"{:es...iHV at the <br />time but that ...ome ll!:'m" relaled to <br /> <br />lh{' crit!:'ria nPPd 10 lx, accomplishPd. <br />It Wol'; recommendt'd that the Service <br />utilize its new computer program 10 <br />update the operational studies, which <br />are now over 10 years old. Also <br />mentioned was the is..ue of the <br />objfftions by the lhrl't' Lower Basin <br />states to thp Dppartmenl of lhe <br />Interior's "paper accounting" <br />pron.odure whefpbv advanced flood <br />control relea..es were accountPd for <br />as being rptained in Lake Mead fOf <br />lhl' purpo...e of computing equalization <br />of active storage bfotwf't'n Lakp \1ead <br />and lake Powell. <br /> <br />The Service called a mt>eting of the <br />Sl'ven Basin stat~ in O<:tober to <br />consider the differing opinions of the <br />lOWl'r Basin and Upper Bilsin Stdtes <br />over the paper accounting method. <br />The Chief Engint,t'r duended the <br />mt.t.'ting and st,ut'd thaI use of lhe <br />method for lhi,> purpose was <br />un.lCceptabll' and that the 1%8 <br />Color,l(lo River Basin Proit'Ct Act (P.l. <br />90-5]71 and the St->(rt'tiHY of the <br />'n(erior's 1970 Operating Criteria for <br />Colorado River Basin reWf\'oirs were <br />spt'cifir in the objt'Ctlve of equali7mg <br />the dctive stora!o1e of pdch rest'rvnir. <br />Furthprmore, there was no basi.. either <br />10 tht' Idw or in ft>derdl rt'Hulation.. for <br />am fictItIOUS dccountin~ mt,thud. The <br />~t'vada and Arizond repre..t'nt.ltive... <br />dt the mt't.'tin.'l: supported tht' Chit,j <br />EnglOeN'" rontenliom. Upper Bd..in <br />reprp<,enldtl\l''!> .ll thc> mPt'ting ..tdtM <br />Oblfftlon.. 10 Iht, St'rvict' releasing dnv <br />waler ifOm ldkt' ""'It'dd in excps<, of <br />dow nstream deliverv rt'qUlremenls or <br />to m('l't Corps of Engint"ers flood <br />control rt'guldtions unit,s.. pilper <br />account 109 W<l.. u..t>d_ This poslllon <br />WdS lalpr sldtt>d 10 a It'Her irom (he <br />.....(>\.. "'e,ilo State Engint,t'r 10 tht' <br />Servicp.... Commissioner, <br /> <br />In a It'ttt'r ddted Dfft'mber 11, <br />1980, tht> R~ional Din"oor oi the <br />lov.er Colorado Rt'giondl Oiiict' <br />iniormed concernt'd dgpncie.-. in (he <br />COlorddo RI\t'r Ba..1O stales tholt 10 tht' <br />1'~81 \\alt'r n'cH, e'cp.... release.. from <br />lake \1t'dd 10 mlOlmizt' Hood rele.N' <br />problems \..ould not e'ceed 1,700,000 <br />.lCre-iet't. The It'tter .11"0 sl.lled that, 10 <br />\ ie\.. oi the full condition of the <br /> <br />11 <br /> <br />Upper Bdsin reservoirs, he belil'vecl <br />there would be no impairment of <br />Upper Bdsin firm water use whether <br />or not the paper dccounting was <br />continued. The lettpr continued by <br />stating that there would be no further <br />carryover oi the paper accounting of <br />thp prior excess relp.1ses from lake <br />Mead and that no further credits <br />would be accumulated during water <br />year 1981. In order to optimizl' <br />opt"raling aspect~ of the Glen Canyon <br />Powerpldnl, thl.' letter also indicated <br />thaI the equalization of storagt> in <br />Lakt'S \1ead and Pov.-ell would occur <br />some lime later in the fall of 1981 <br />ratht'r than bv Septembpr 30. <br /> <br />In a meeling bt>tween <br />repr~enldtiv{'s of the Colorado River <br />Basin stdtt'S, the Uppt'f and lower <br />Colorado R~ional Dirt'Ctors, dnd the <br />Commis..iont'r to discuss the <br />[}t'(ember 11, 1980 leiter, the Upper <br />Cnlorado Regional Dirl'Ctor stdlro thaI <br />he had worked with the Lower <br />Color.ldo Re~ional Oirt'Ctor on th{' <br />preparation of the It,lter .md <br />f:oncurrPd thprein. Tht, Commi...sioner <br />statt'(:!. howpver, (hat he h.Hi not <br />redcht'{j a dt"{-ision yet on whether or <br />not to approve lhe Iptter, <br /> <br />The Assistant Chit'! Engineer <br />rC'prc'wnt('d the Board at the mel'ling <br />and strongly ..upported tht' plan <br />recommt'ndt.'d in the tettef, as did the <br />Arizona and :'\;evada representdtivt's. <br />Howe\er, in fl~pon..e to stron!o1 <br />prpssure from lht' Upper Basin Stales. <br />Iht, Commissioner agreed to delav d <br />dl'(;ision on the issue,> until lanuaf\ <br />31, lQ81, during which time he d!o1ft>ed <br />to recPl\t' supplpmentaltetters on lhe <br />is<;ues irom the "'dte... <br /> <br />Hom er U,Jm Flood <br />C vnrrol Rt:'llul.llion~ <br /> <br />On 'mf'mber 17, 1980, tht' Water <br />dnd Po.....er Re<;ouru's Sef\'if:e entered <br />into dn interim dgret>ment with tht' <br />Arm\ Corps of Engint>ers entitled <br />"Fit'ld \Vorl..lOg AWt'l'ffient <br />Rt>!o1arding Flood Conlrol O!)t>ralion of <br />HooH'r Dam dod lake \1ead. <br />Colotado Riwr, 'evdd.:J-Arizona", <br />The purpo..e oi this lipId \..orking <br />