WSP05136

• File Number: 8200.400
• Description: Colorado River Basin Briefing Documents-History-Correspondence
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 10/1/1999
• Author: DOI-BOR
• Title: Programmatic Environmental Assessment-Rulemaking-Offstream Storage Colorado River Water - Development-Release Intentionally Created Unused Apportionment - Lower Division States - Appendix H-Section II
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

04/03/98 10:41 '6'303 868 447i) 0-0 4 6 0 CWCB

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Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natl,lral Resour~es
721 CenletlniallluUdins
1313 g,...".,,_
Den-. Cd<xodo 80203
I'hnne (3031 866-3441
fAX: [phone]-M74

STATE OF COLORI\DQ

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5."I'A1E OF COLORADO
WA1ER CONSERVATION BOARD
COMMENTS ON
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
U.S. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
PROPOSED 43 CFR PART 414:
OFFSTREAM STORAGE OF COLORADO RIVER WATER AND
JNTERSTATE REDEMPTION OF STORAGE CREDITS IN THE
LOWER DIVISION STATES

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Submitted Aprll 3, 1998

The mission of the Colorado Water Consecvation Board is to promote the protectiolJ,
conservation, and development of Colorado's water resources in order to secure the
greatest utilization of those resoun:es for the benefit of present and future generations,
and to m;n;mi7" the risk of flood damage and related economic losses. One of the
Colorado Water Conservation Board's major responsibilities is protection of Colorado's
interstate compact appoItiOJ)(llents. The Colorado Water Conservation Board
appreciates the opportunity to review and comment on the proposed rule a~ published
by the Department of Interior and the U.S. Bureau ofRec1amation in the Federal
Relrlster on December 31. 1997 at "43 CFR Part 414: OFFSTREAM STORAGE' OF
COLORADO RIVER. WATER AND INTERSTATE REDEMPTION OF STORAGE
CREDITS IN TIlE LOWER DMSION STATES." Reclamati.on is to be commendc:d
for its efforts to facilitate the resolution of some of the difficult is..oroes facing Colorado
River water users in the Lower Ba~in.

The Colotado Warex- Conservation Board is ver:y supportive of the proposed rules
general framework tbal allows the Lower Division states of the Colorado River Basin to
make more efficient use of their apportionments through the use of interstate water
storage agreement!;. The interstate warer n:ansactions that will OCCUr after promulgation
of this rule will provide important benefits within the Lower Division States.
However, these IrclnsactiOns must be carefully defined and appropriately administered
in a manner that fully proll:cts the rights of@ Colorado River water users. be they in
Lower or Upper Colorado River Basins. It is absolutely critical that this t>J'Oposed nrle
in no way impact the basic elements of the "Law of the Colorado River." We believe it
is the intent of this rule to facilitate transaction.~ that are already allowed under the

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