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<br />Feden) . t 1 I Vol. t8, No. 80 I Monday, May 9, 1983 I Noticel
<br />
<br />. . contrllcllln wltbaul iarpoal... I lnudaa
<br />~ 011 OJ puticuJu CIlIItrIlclor,
<br />C\l nre ..-t Boalc1er CanyoD ProjacI
<br />C contrllckn objec\ld \0 the NductiaD In
<br />~ capacltJ' sIlocallODl ill \be WiIlter
<br />. SealOn thal..d ...... ...vpoaad In tire
<br />.. Aupa\ 1112 CrIteria. 11Iey ltal8d thai
<br />- .uch a wl-HIIII _ ...............ted In
<br />projecl bIIlarJ. S- of tire CIIII'8II1
<br />IIouIdar c.,... ProjacI caatrllclors
<br />IlIO\IOMd. U ID Iltemative, the IhowIDs
<br />01 the '._n_ Seuon allocation
<br />contalaed In \be A......11l1BZ CrIteri. a.
<br />conliDaeDl capacltJ' 011 . year around
<br />b.lil. Weslem apel with thi.
<br />.pproach. and ..., therefore, removed
<br />the Wlnler Seaoon cap.citJ' amounta,
<br />Cap.citJ' reductiona for the Boulder
<br />Canyon Project In the Winter Se..on
<br />will be on a pro rwta balie, dependins
<br />upon the cap.citJ' of the generwlin8 unita
<br />.ctually removed from service,
<br />4. Central Arizono Project Regulotory
<br />Storoge, The Crileri. provide. for the
<br />m.rkelin8 of N.vajo power lurpluclo
<br />Central Arizonl Projecl and Title I
<br />Salinity Control Projecl needa, under
<br />.hort term lUTangementa. The A......t
<br />1982 Criteri. provided for the markelin8
<br />of 50 MW of firm power during the
<br />winter .....on, and recDpUzed th.t the
<br />.ddition of . regulatory Itorage unit
<br />would inere.... the amount of power
<br />.vailable, Due to commenta received by
<br />the Centrlll Arizona Waler Conservation
<br />Diltrict and other Arizon. entitiel,
<br />Weltem h.. deleled power amounta
<br />and contrllct term until .tudiel pre...ntly
<br />underwey lII'll compleled, Weslem ...
<br />aJlo Ihown . Iinl priority of allocation
<br />to Arizon. entilie..
<br />The currentltudlel have evolved from
<br />earlier .tudle. concerning power
<br />marketing allernative. for Navajo
<br />power. Since 1981, Wellem'l Boulder
<br />City Area Office h.. been engaged in.
<br />Itudy effori with Reclamation and other
<br />entitiel in the St.te of Arizona to
<br />determine the beneflta to the Centr.l
<br />Arizona Projecl of. reguI.tory Itorall
<br />unit. The.e .tudles indicate th.1 the
<br />Iddition of. reguI.tory .torage unit
<br />could .Uow for the markelin8 of N.v.jo
<br />power during the lummer monthe, when
<br />the peak load for mOIl IYltemeln the
<br />Boulder CitJ' Area lII'llllneraUy hisher.
<br />rather than the Wlnler Seuon
<br />.vaillblJjty wlthoul I reguI.IOry II0rage
<br />uniL \
<br />Th_ earlier atudiea Indicated that al
<br />much al Ztll MW of power could be
<br />made Ivallable 011 a firm buIa duriDa
<br />.ome IIIIIIlIUII' mOlltha In a normal year
<br />when the Central Arizona Projeclla
<br />diverting 1,5 million acre-feel of waler.
<br />The amount of power avail.ble will
<br />depend upon the aize of the .Iorage unit
<br />and exchange or purcha... lUT.........enta
<br />with utilitie.. The exchan8e
<br />
<br />~lIlia -.y would be for a
<br />tdIIIty or alllltiea \0 provide JI1IlIIPIns
<br />......In the winter IDODtha ill exchan8e
<br />far JIlIWlIf &am N.v.jo during peak load
<br />perloda In the .ummer IIIODtha.
<br />FoIlowlna IlDallz.atiOll of the
<br />afOl'llllHllltioned atudiea, the Arizona
<br />Power Authority and _eral Arizona
<br />uli1ltiea belan a ltudy, throuah their
<br />conaultan~ \0 demmiDe the flacaI
<br />benafita 10 the Central Arizona Project
<br />of comblnlng the marketing of Arizona'.
<br />ahare of Boulder Canyon Project power
<br />(a. shown In the Augual1l1BZ Criteria)
<br />with power from the Navajo reaource, It
<br />la Weltem'l unde_dins thai the goal
<br />of the ltudy is \0 find a marketing
<br />alternative which enhances the ability
<br />of Navajo to provide pumping power for
<br />Central Arizona Project "aler, revenue
<br />for repayment of project COIta, and an
<br />additional value which mighl be IOld or
<br />otherwise converted to debl-carrying
<br />capacity \0 a,"lalln project funding, The
<br />poaalbillty of contribuled funding la
<br />'being Inveltigaled a. Federal fundins for
<br />the CenINl Arizona Project may not be
<br />available. . ~
<br />The neceality for completing the
<br />Central Arizona Project on ochedule il
<br />due 10 Arizona'l ground water overdraft
<br />lituation that h.. cauaed the water level
<br />\0 drop a reported three feel per year,
<br />The overdraft can be somewhal relieved
<br />by completiOll of the Central Arizona
<br />Project and the use of project waler In
<br />lieu of ground water.
<br />The Central Arizona Waler
<br />Conaervation Di.triet. the entity which
<br />h81 contrllcted with RecllIIIllltion 10
<br />repay the Central Arizona Projec~ he.
<br />commented th.t the allocation of Navajo
<br />power In Arizona may be a means of
<br />I8C1II'Ina contributed funding for the
<br />Central Arizona Project and thai
<br />contribuled funding m.y ..si.tln timely
<br />completion of the projecl The concept
<br />of markelin& Navajo power \0 Arizona
<br />entitiel w.. advanced In commenta at
<br />the November 1l1BZ. Public Comment
<br />Forum and In written commenta, and
<br />... received qualified aupport from
<br />...verel entitie. In the Marketing area.
<br />Therefore, We.tem hal decided 10 give
<br />a lint priority In allocation \0 Arizona
<br />entitiea. .
<br />Western believes that II i.importanl
<br />10 prolect tire repayment of the .
<br />inv_enl made by the Federal
<br />Govemmenlln the Central Arizona
<br />Projecl Rapayment can begin only when
<br />the project besiIII deliverlng water and
<br />beco..... revenue producins. [f an
<br />aUocatiOll of Navajo power \0 entities In
<br />Arizona can brlna In contributed capital
<br />10 ",,~.ftce the repaymenl schedule of
<br />the projeet. thia would be In the public
<br />interest of the State of Arizona and the
<br />United Statea, and la provided for in the
<br />
<br />Criteria, [f, however, the .\udie. bem,
<br />conducted by the Arizona group do not
<br />yield a favorable relult the relource
<br />wID be offered to other entitiea within
<br />the markelin& ",!,L
<br />5. Priority U.. Power, The Criteria
<br />providea thai certaiD amounta of Parker-
<br />D.vil Project power la ....rved for
<br />priority DHI by the Unlled Statel.
<br />Priority uae power la defined 81 th.t
<br />amount of capacity and ene'llY needed
<br />for Federal rec1amation project ule and
<br />inigation pumping on cert.in Indian
<br />landa.
<br />Commenta during the early .Iagel of
<br />the public proceaa were directed toward
<br />limiting the geographic area In which
<br />priority uce power could be uled Ind a
<br />deacrlption of the Federal reclamalion
<br />project. that would ule thi. power.
<br />Wellem agreed with the.e comments
<br />and h.. provided a lilting of projectl
<br />uclng thil power and h8llimlled itl ule
<br />10 the Lower Colorado River Basin.
<br />Weltem will conllnue the established
<br />practice of markelin& Parker-Davi.
<br />Project power ....rved for priority ule.
<br />but not prelently needed. ..
<br />withdrawable power,
<br />Comments have aIao addre,"ed
<br />Weltem'. definition of the phr..e
<br />I.. . . irrigation pumping on certain
<br />lndian landa." Wealem h.. defined thil
<br />term in the Criteria a. ... . . irri8ation
<br />pumping on lndlan irrlaation projectl
<br />which ere adjacent to the lower
<br />Colorado River south of Davis Dam and
<br />north ol the border between the United
<br />Stalea and Mexico."
<br />Comments .uggelted that Western
<br />hal misconatrued the language of the
<br />Parker Dam Act by 10 restriclin& the
<br />priority uce power to Indian irrigation
<br />projecta adjacent \0 the Colorado River.
<br />The commentorslndlcate that the intent
<br />of Congrell in enacting the Parker Dam
<br />legillation W8lto allow priority use
<br />power 10 be used for reclamation of all
<br />lndian Ianda.
<br />The Interpretalion of this phrase has
<br />been elteblished In earlier aUocalionl of
<br />Parker.Davi. Project power. This
<br />Interpretation W81 further defllled in
<br />1978 in a memorandum from the
<br />Commil.ioner of Reclamation. The
<br />Commil.ioner further
<br />defined ... . . inigation pumping on
<br />certain Indian landa . . .." ..
<br />inigation pumping on indian irrlaation
<br />projeeta which lII'll adjacent to tile lower
<br />Colorwdo River lOuth of DIvis Dam and
<br />north of the border between the United
<br />St.lea and Mexico, Irrigation pumpm,
<br />w.. also defined: ... . . inigalion
<br />pumpm, on lndian inigation projects
<br />includel pumping for the purpo.e of
<br />bringing w.ter to relervation land under
<br />agricultural production, and removing
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