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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Party Agreement is 3.961 maf. This estimate is based on the collective use through September 1997 <br />by the Palo Verde Irrigation District, the Ywna Project Reservation Division, the Imperial Irrigation <br />District, and the Coachel1a Valley Water District. Figure I, found at the end of this report, depicts <br />the monthly forecasts of end-of-year agricultura1 use since the beginning of the year. <br /> <br />Colorado River Qperations <br /> <br />The 1998 Annual Operating Plan for the Colorado River Reservoirs (1998 AOP) along with <br />the Secretarial letter to the seven Basin state governors, is in Washington, D.C. awaiting Secretary <br />Bruce Babbitt's signature. <br /> <br />Included in the Board folder is a News Release from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation <br />(Reclamation) infonning us that the space-building releases from Hoover Dam were completed on <br />September i 8th. Lake Mead storage capacity was reduced approximately 400,000 acre-feet in <br />anticipation of the spring runoff. With that release Reclamation has indicated that the surface <br />elevation of Lake Mead is expected to rise to 1209 feet by the end of December 1997 from its current <br />elevation of 1205 feet. With the 216 percent of normal precipitation above Lake Powell in <br />September, additional releases are now being made from Glen Canyon Dam to create vacant space <br />in Lake Powell. As a result of the increased releases from Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Mead is now <br />expected to reach elevation 1215 to 1216 feet by the end of the year. This will eliminate the space <br />that was previously created in Lake Mead. Thus, Reclamation is again considering making releases <br />above downstream requirements during November and December to build storage space in Lake <br />Mead. However, because of the limited release capabilities at Parker and Davis Dams due to <br />scheduled powerplant maintenance, the maximum release from Hoover Dam is limited to about <br />13,000 cubic feet per second. With such releases, the maximum space that could be created by the <br />end of the year is about 800,000 acre-feet. Before such releases are made, Reclamation will consult <br />with the Basin states and Mexico. As I understand, Mexico has scheduled channel maintenance <br />work during this time period and may not be supportive of the additional releases. <br /> <br />With regard to the calendar year 1998 water deliveries, Reclamation has scheduled <br />consultation meetings, during October and November, with Colorado River water contractors <br />regarding water conservation and the use of Colorado River water. This is part of Reclamation's <br />annual approval of each contractor's water delivery schedule under part 417 of Title 43 of the Code <br />of Federal Regulations. <br /> <br />The 1997 annual conference of the National Water Resources Association (NWRA) is <br />scheduled for November 4-7, 1997, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Included in the Board folder is <br />a copy ofa letter, dated September IS, 1997, from Reclamation indicating that Commissioner Eluid <br />Martinez will be in attendance and available for short meetings with water users to discuss issues <br />of interest. <br /> <br />[At the June Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Fonun meeting in Salt Lake City, I <br />(J) became aware that the USGS, because of federal funding limitations, planned to discontinue <br /> <br />2 <br />