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<br />WATER RESOURCES
<br />
<br />Bureau of Reclamatlon/Water Conservation
<br />
<br />In response to numerous requests, the Bureau of
<br />Reclamation has extended the public comment period
<br />on proposed acreage limitation and water conservation
<br />rules and regulations and a draft environmental impact
<br />statement through June 26th. Comments should be
<br />addressed to the Westwide Settlement Manager (D-
<br />5010), Bureau of Reclamation, P.O. Box 25007, Denver,
<br />Colorado 80225-0007. Through June. 26th, comments
<br />of up to ten minutes in length may also be telephoned to
<br />a toll-free number, 1-800-861-5443. In order to be
<br />included in the official record, telephone comments must
<br />include the commentator's name, but address and
<br />affiliation are optional. For more information, call Rusty
<br />Schuster at (303) 236-9336. extension 237. Requests
<br />for documents should be directed to (303) 236-1061,
<br />extension 237.
<br />
<br />The proposed regulations have raised many concerns
<br />and considerable opposition among water districts and
<br />western states. While supporting appropriate water
<br />conservation measures, many question Reclamation's
<br />statutory authority for requiring the submission and
<br />approval of water conservation plans from all entities
<br />receiving water from a Reclamation project or using
<br />federal facilities to store or transport non-federal water.
<br />The required approval would be considered a federal
<br />action triggering compliance with the National
<br />Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, and
<br />other federal statutes. Moreover, Reclamation has
<br />proposed minimum core criteria for use in evaluating and
<br />approving plans, which have been challenged as
<br />unnecessarily rigid and inflexible. Some believe the
<br />regulations will produce more red tape and litigation than
<br />water.. Lastly, questions have been raised regarding the
<br />allocation of any water savings, motivated by concerns
<br />that the rules appear to favor new environmental uses
<br />instream. Any federal attempt t9 re.l'!llo'l"!t<e.water to
<br />these uses would conflict with the states' right to allocate
<br />quantities of water.
<br />
<br />WATER RESOURCES
<br />
<br />Callfornla/Domenigonl Project
<br />
<br />On May 17th, the Metropolitan Water District of
<br />Southern California (MWD) officially began construction
<br />of a $1.8 billion project that will raise three dams to
<br />enclose the Domenigoni and Diamond Valleys near
<br />Hemet, and create a reservoir covering 4,500 acres and
<br />storing about 800,000 acre-feet of water (WSW #1 072).
<br />
<br />Once completed in 1999, it will be southern California's
<br />largest reservoir and recreation complex. It will be filled
<br />over several years with water from the Colorado (a
<br />and northern California, doubling existing s, .
<br />capacity and providing a six-month emergency supp y.
<br />The lake has not yet been officially named.. It will be
<br />open for boating, fishing and sailing, but body-contact
<br />sports, such as jet and water skiing are still being
<br />evaluated because of water quality and health concerns.
<br />Two 50-acre ponds are planned for water contact sports
<br />outside the "bookends" dams. Recreation areas
<br />covering 1,400 acres surrounding the lake will eventually
<br />offer golf, camping, hiking, equestrian trails, and athletic
<br />fields. In addition, 23,250 acres of adjoining or nearby
<br />lands have been set aside as ecological and wildlife
<br />reserves. MWD provides almost 60% of the water used
<br />by nearly 16 million people in southern California.
<br />
<br />PUBLICATIONS
<br />
<br />The American Bar Association's Section on Natural
<br />Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law has just
<br />published "Water Law: Trends, Policies, and Practice."
<br />The 364-page soft bound book contains sections by
<br />various authors on "Takings and Water Rights,"
<br />"Reallocation of Water Supplies," "State Water Issues,"
<br />"Indian Water Law," "Federal Regulations, Reclamation,
<br />and Water Rights," and "Interstate Water ISS. ues,"".
<br />book concludes with a section on "The Future of, I .
<br />Law," which includes an article by Commissioner van
<br />Beard of the Bureau of Reclamation on new directions
<br />for the Bureau, and an article entitled, "A New Era in
<br />State-Federal Relations in Water Law?" by John Leshy,
<br />Interior Department Solicitor. This last section also
<br />contains an article by staff of the Western Governors'
<br />Association and the Western States Water Council
<br />entitled "Retooling Western Water Management: The
<br />Park City Principles." Copies of the book may be
<br />obtained by contacting the American Bar Association,
<br />Publication Orders, P.O. Box 10892, Chicago, Illinois
<br />60610-0892: The fax line is (312) 968-5568. The
<br />telephone number is (312) 988-5522. The purchase
<br />price of the book is $75.00 plus a $5.95 handling fee.
<br />
<br />PEOPLE
<br />
<br />South Dakota governor, William J. Janklow, has
<br />appointed Nettle H. Myers as South Dakota's Executive
<br />Committee member on the Western States Water
<br />Council. Ms. Myers currently serves as South Dakota's
<br />Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural
<br />Resources. Myers has a financial degree (she is a
<br />certified public accountant), and a managerial, medica.
<br />marketing and technical background.
<br />
<br />The WESTERN STATES WATER COUNCIL is an organization of representatives appointed by the Governors
<br />of member states - Arizona, California, Colorado, HawaII, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon,
<br />South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming - and associate member states Alaska, Montana and Washington.
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