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<br />Projected Plan of Operation Under Criteria - Water Year 1989 <br /> <br />Determination of "602(a) Storage" <br /> <br />Section 602(a)(3) of the Colorado River Basin Project Act of <br />September 30, 1968 (Public Law 90-537), provides for the <br />storage of Colorado River water, not required to be released <br />under article lU(c) and III(d) of the Colorado River Compact <br />in Upper Basin reservoirs, to the extent the Secretary of the <br />Interior (Secretary) [rods it necessary to assure compact <br />deliveries without impairment of annual consumptive uses in <br />the Upper Basin. <br /> <br />Article II of the "Criteria for Coordinated Long,Range <br />Operation of Colorado River Reservoirs" (Operatiog <br />Criteria) provides that the annual plan of operation shall <br />include a determination by the Secretary of the quantity of <br />water considered necessary to be in Upper Basin storage as <br />of September 30 of the current year. <br /> <br />This determination shall consider all applicable laws and <br />relevant factors including, but not limited to the following: <br />(a) historic streamflows; (b) the most critical period of <br />record; (c) probabilities of water supply; (d) estimated future <br />depletions in the Upper Basin, including the effects of <br />recurrence of critical periods of water supply; (e) the "Report <br />of the Committee on Probabilities and Test Studies to the <br />Task Force on Operating Criteria for the Colorado River," <br />dated October 30, 1969, and such additional studies as the <br />Secretary deems necessary; and (I) the necessity to assure that <br />Upper Basin consumptive uses are not impaired because of <br />faiJure to store sufficient water to assure deliveries under <br />Section 602(a)(1) and (2) of Public Law 90-537. <br /> <br />Taking into consideration these relevant factors, the Secretary <br />has determined that the active storage in Upper Basin <br />reservoirs forecast for September 30, 1989, exceeds the <br />"602(a) Storage" requirement under any reasonable range of <br />assumptions which might be applied to those items previously <br />listed. Therefore, the accumulation of "602(a) Storage" is not <br />the criterion governing the release of water during the current <br />year. <br /> <br />Mexican Treaty Obligations <br /> <br />Annual calendar year schedules of monthly deliveries of water <br />in the limitrophe section of the Colorado River, allotted in <br />accordance with the Mexican Water Treaty of 1944, are <br />formulated by the Mexican Section and presented to the <br />United States Section, International Boundary and Water <br />Commission (Commission), before the beginning of each <br />calendar year. <br /> <br />Upon 30 days advance notice to the United States Section, <br />Mexico has the right to modify, within the total schedule, any <br />monthly quantity prescribed by the schedule by not more than <br />20 percent During water year 1988, Mexico received a total <br />delivery of about 2,700,000 acre,feet at the Northerly <br />International Boundary (NIB). <br /> <br />Of the 2,700,000 acre-feet of mainstem Colorado River water <br />reaching the NIB, about 1,560,000 acre-feet were delivered <br />through the Pilot Knob Powerplant and Wasteway from the <br />All-American CanaL An estimated 510,000 acre-feet were <br />released through Laguna Dam. The remainder ofthe flow at <br />NIB was made up of return flows to the Colorado River below <br />Laguna Dam, and returns to thc Gila Rivcr below the gaging <br />station near Dome, as well as small Gila River releases from <br />Painted Rock Reservoir. <br /> <br />Beca use of the current water supply conditions, the <br />United States will make scheduled deliveries of 1,500,000 <br />acre-feet of Colorado River water to the Republic of Mexico <br />in calendar year 1989. Under most probable water supply <br />conditions, flow at the Nffi will total approximately 1.6 MAF <br />during calendar year 1989, due to a small amount of additional <br />water being released while Senator Wash Reservoir is out of <br />operation for repairs and testing. Representatives of the <br />Republic of Mexico will be kept informed of operating <br />schedules through the United States Section of the <br />Commission. <br /> <br />3 <br />