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<br />-. <br /> <br />,.-. <br />< 1 <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />Section 602(a) of tbe CRBPA and the Operating Criteria require that there be sufficient <br />water in storage in Upper Basin Reservoirs. This assures deliveries to the Lower Basin <br />without impairment of annual consumptive uses in the Upper Basin. The amount of 602(a) <br />storage required increases as the Upper Basin continues to develop its compact <br />apportionment. The full storage capacity of the Upper Basin reservoirs, including Lake <br />Powell, will be required to meet 602(a) storage requirements. Therefore, the only <br />acceptable way to gain additional flood control storage in Lake PoweU is by raising the. <br />beight of the spillway gates as recommended by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation <br />(Reclamation) in the Preferred Alternative. <br /> <br />BeacbIHabitat Building Flows. Beach/Habitat building flows of 45,000 cfs at a frequency <br />of 1 in 5 years have been proposed, first as a single test, then as a long term component of <br />tbe Preferred Alternative. Such flows would shift large blocks of water; up to 500,000 acre <br />feet between months, from the releases scheduled under the Annual Operating Plan <br />procedure. Since such flows exceed power plant capacity, they would decrease total power <br />production. AccordingIy, such releases would violate the Law of tbe River and the Grand <br />Canyon Protection Act, and Colorado opposes them. <br /> <br />The CRSP Act directed that the power facilities it authorized should be operated .so as to <br />produce the greatest practicable amount of power and energy that can be sold at firm power <br />and energy rates,. consistent with the compacts, the Boulder Canyon Project Act, and <br />Boulder Canyon Project Adjustment Act. 43 U.S. C. ~ 62Of. CRBPA and the Operating <br />Oiteria require the avoidance of spills. The Grand Canyon Protection Act did not <br />contemplate or authorize power plant bypasses. To the oonttaIy, its legislative history shows <br />that Congress understood and intended to preserve the annual and monthly operations at <br />Glen Canyon Dam: <br /> <br />Operation of Glen CaIiyon Dam has been established through a twofold <br />procedure. First, the Secretary of the Interior annually determines the <br />volumes of water to be stored and released for international treaty and <br />interstate compact purposes. Annual and monthly release volumes are based <br />upon water supply considerations, water delivery requirements, and the <br />avoidance of auticipated spills from Lake Powell (spills being releases in <br />excess of powerplant capacity, which releases are referred to as flood <br />releases). Annual and monthly reservoir operations are governed by, among <br />other things, the Mexican Water Treaty, the Colorado River Compact, title <br />VI of the Colorado River Basin Project Act (hereafter the 1968 Act) and the <br />Criteria for Coordinated Long-Range Operating Criteria promulgated <br />pursuant thereto in 1970. These operational constraints take precedence over <br />power operations (as is provided for by section 1 of the Colorado River <br />Storage Project Act of 1956 (hereafter '1956 Act') and by section 602(c) of the <br />1968 Act, and over the vacating of reservoir space to reduce the probability <br />of future flood releases. as provided by section 602(a)(3) -{Jf- the 1968 Act. <br /> <br />4 <br />