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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />270,000 acre-feet and storage in the Lower Basin reservoirs decreased by 107,000 acre-feet. Total <br />System active storage as of the end of February was 53.614 million acre-feet (mat) or 90 percent of <br />capacity. which is 0.045 maf less than one year ago. <br /> <br />March releases from Hoover, Davis, and Parker Dams averaged 16,840, 16,270 and <br />11,400 cubic feet per second (cfs), respectively. Planned releases from those three dams for the <br />month of April 2000 are 19,800, 18,800 and 13,800 cfs, respectively. The April releases represent <br />those needed to meet downstream water requirements. <br /> <br />The April 5, 2000 forecast of April through July 2000 unregulated inflow into Lake Powell <br />is 6.6 maf, which is 85 percent of the 30-year average for the period 1961-1990. The forecast of <br />unregulated inflow into Lake Powell for the 1999-00 water year is 10.1 maf, or 86 percent of the <br />30-year average. <br /> <br />The Lower Division states' estimated consumptive use of Colorado River water for calendar <br />year 2000, as estimated by Board staff, totals 8.285 maf and is projected as follows: Arizona, <br />2.780 maf; California, 5.239 maf; and Nevada, 0.266 maf. Estimated additional unmeasured return <br />flow credits of 0.242 mafwould reduce the total amount to 8.043 maf. For calendar year 2000, the <br />Central Arizona Project (CAP) is projected to divert 1.341 maf, of which 290,000 acre-feet is to be <br />credited to the Arizona Water Bank, and The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California <br />(MWD) is projected to divert 1.306 maf. <br /> <br />The April 2000 estimate of 2000 end-of-year California agricultural consumptive use of <br />Colorado River water under the first three priorities of the 1931 California Seven Party Agreement <br />is 3.874 maf. This estimate is based on the collective use through March 2000 by the Palo Verde <br />Irrigation District (PVID), the Yuma Project Reservation Division (YPRD), the Imperial Irrigation <br />District (llD), and the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD). Figure I, found at the end of this <br />report, depicts the historic projected end-of-year agricultural use for the year. <br /> <br />Colorado River Ooerations <br /> <br />Annual Operating Plan <br /> <br />Included in the Board folder is a notice from the u.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) <br />announcing the initiation of the process for development of the 2001 Annual Operating Plan for the <br />Colorado River System Reservoirs (2001 AOP). Reclamation has scheduled two meetings of the <br />Colorado River Management Work Group and one final consultation meeting with the Basin states <br />representatives. The meeting dates are May 17th, June 21", and August 16,2000, respectively. <br />According to Reclamation's latest 24-Month Study, dated April I 0,2000, a flood control release in <br />January 2001 would occur with the projected April through July, 2000, runoff (85 percent of <br />average) and the anticipated water use in 2000 and "normal" water uses in 2001. Under that <br />scenario, it could be argued that the Secretary of the Interior should consider a surplus condition for <br />the release of water from Lake Mead in the 2001 AOP. <br /> <br />2 <br />