Laserfiche WebLink
<br />002494 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />California's Colorado River Water Use Plan <br /> <br />Reclamation's Efforts Regarding Overuse of Colorado River Water <br /> <br />As you are aware, Reclamation has become increasingly more concerned with water supply <br />conditions within the Colorado River Basin, particularly within the Lower Basin. Additionally, <br />Reclamation has been engaged in the process of completing the Implementation Agreement and <br />Inadvertent Overrun Environrnentallmpact Statement. The final EIS was completed and released <br />on November 4, 2002. <br /> <br />As a result of Reclamation's concerns, over the past few months Reclamation has begun to <br />closely monitor the water delivery and use schedules of Lower Basin entitlement holders. In October <br />2002, Reclanlation sent a series of letters to entitlement holders in the Lower Basin asking them to <br />increase water conservation and efficiency practices. Additionally, Reclamation indicated that <br />several agricultural entitlement holders would be very close to exceeding their entitlement by the end <br />of the Calendar Year, and thus requiring a "payback" of the overrun. <br /> <br />Agricultural entitlement holders in Arizona and the Arizona Department of Water Resources <br />(ADWR) have indicated that they believe that, between now and the end of the year, they can <br />minimize the State's risk of incurring an overrun requiring payback. Additionally, ADWR is <br />working with Reclamation to identifY the status of approximately 38,000 acre-feet of consumptive <br />use attributed to "Arizona Pumpers" category in the annual Article V Decree Accounting Report. <br /> <br />On September 25, 2002, Assistant Secretary of the Interior Bennett Raley received a letter <br />from Arizona Senator Jon Kyl. Senator Kyl indicated significant concern that Imperial Irrigation <br />District was not prepared to repay an agricultural overrun of Colorado River water incurred in <br />Calendar Year 2001. <br /> <br />Assistant Secretary Raley responded to Senator Kyl's letter on October 9, 2002. In his letter, <br />Assistant Secretary Raley indicated that The Metropolitan Water District of South ern California will <br />repay its share of the overrun, but that Imperial Irrigation District will not. He also indicated that <br />lID will reach the limits of its approved water order prior to December 31,2002, and that the Bureau <br />of Reclamation has been instructed to "".ensure that agricultural deliveries to California do not <br />exceed 3.85 million acre-feet in 2002." <br /> <br />Toward resolution of this issue, representatives of Coach ell a Valley Water District, liD, and <br />MWD prepared a draft response to the Secretary of the Interior on November 6, 2002. In the draft <br />letter, the three agencies commit to repay approximately 270,000 acre-feet of inadvertent overrun <br />accrued in Calendar Years 200 I and 2002. Further, the three agencies propose that the payback of <br />the overrun amount would be made over a six-year period, and outside of the terms and conditions <br />of Reclamation's Inadvertent Overrun and Payback Policy. The commitment, by the agencies, was <br />based upon the successful implementation of the Quantification Settlement Agreement. <br /> <br />.j- <br />~;$ <br /> <br />Reclamation's Lower Colorado Regional Director, Bob Johnson, responded tq the agencies <br />draft letter on November 8, 2002, indicating that Reclamation is concerned that the California <br />agencies have not committed to repay the overrun even if the Quantification Settlement Agreement <br /> <br />7 <br />