WSP06411 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

,; 0107 r I Vol. 57, :-';0. 175 I Tnunday. Se F ede.raJ ."'. .. , i , c!:e:-all~ year. VVhen lbe !JOWl oC tbe Colorado River are augmented.. a.s contemplaled in .ecuon 1lO2 of Publ1c uw 9C}...5J7. the Operating Cnlen. ...,Ii likely be reVlsed SyaopSLs oC Review Results ~any of the I!sues raised d~ ~e review are more properly dealt .....,th. dunng the development of the AOP. These include aavt.gl!lcon. recosnition of project purposes. min"..i";118 spills. :iver conditions from Hoover Dam to Me.~ca. oper'lions at Glen Canyon Dam. faeton for deter.nining 1lO2l a J storage. nsc--ous ';>plication of the Operating c.-iter.a. and storase equalizatIon between we, Powell .nd ~e.d. The Operatins CMten. were purposely d..igned to be ne~ible .0 th.t during the development of the AQP vanatio:1a in weather patterns and I"n~"~n! demands for warer use can be accommodated.. The ;>roce.s for developing the AOP is open to the public and interested parties. S;>eci.l .tudies th.t addres. some of the Issues raised dunng the review of t!:1e Operating Criteri. will b. conducted dunng d.v.lopm.nt of lunue AOP'.. Some issue. such a. .hor1~term naviganon concerns or Ipecac issues re!at~ to river conditioml can Dilen be handled on a case-by..:ue ba.is. Those Wlth such concerns are lnV1ted to contact Reclamation so II cooperattTe solution can be worir:ed out. The minimum obiective release from uk. Powell wu carefully conaidend. Impacts of ch.nging this param.ler :nay be conSiderable and l'llD8e from impacts on the levels in Lak.. Powell and Mead to impacu on nows i.a. the Grand Canyon. Insuflicent dam .xiat conceming th... impaCll and any chanse in the aWlimum objective rele.... a thoroush analysis of the impacts would be premature. Studies are propoHd to ........;".. the com.bi:Ded effects of objective lIIiDiIIlum rele..... 602{a) storage delermiDadona. and storas. .quaJizadoa between I.aka Powell.nd M..d The decision "" wheth.r or not to chang. the Operating Criteri. is .ubject to NEllA and .ppropri.le compliance will'be .ccomplisbed.1t is not deemed a ppropriate to combi.a.e this proc.esa WI th the Gl.n Canyon Dam Environmentalllllp.ct Slatement ICCDElSJ nor 10 delay thio review aDd deci.ion on the Op.rat!nl Criteria until th. GCDElS ia compleled. With retpeCl to th. issues r.ised by the Indian Tribn. they are ...ured of their right to panicipate in revtewI oCthe Operat:in.g C.-lleria and in the AOP dev.lopment process. B....d 00 th. resulla of the review and the lIInaiysil of public commentL it La , . propoled that the Opersa.n~ c.-iteca not oe ",odifi.d .1 tJus :une. An.a!YIIJ of Issue. :55".. :: Wh.ther It.e Cl'e,..nng Crltena ,could mclude I.eepi.c.g the nver na..,gable from I...aX.e Mead Vp to t.D:e Grand Canyon and below Hoover Dam. w!1ether :1avi.gauon s.b.ould ta.k.e precedence over power in determini.ng dam releases. and whether nver management should conform to the pncntie! in !.he Decree in A.r7%ona Y. California (Decree). AnaJ}.sis: Water releases by Redamation from Hoover Dam on a monthly bas.. .re noreally coatrolled by waler need. down.tream (iacluding re,ervoir r.gul.tion) or by flood control reguJations if conditio,,", require. Within the conatrainu im:posed by water d.mands. daily and hourly reiease. an! controlled by pow.r demand. and .cheduliag. Articla U of the Oeaee Iis~ river regulatiou. improvement c"f nBvisation. .nd flood control u the lint pnonty uses of Hoover Dam and Lake Me.d However, the c"mpact .tates ia Al'lIcle N thaI naviganon .balI be !ubservient to water supply and power. Th. Deer.. (Article VlIIJ aloe .tate. t!1a1 it (the Decree) ,ball nol .ffect any i.sue of !.nterpretation of the c"mp.ct. It is the Department of the Intenor's (lntenor) pOSItion (wbic.il i5 supported by the findings in Laughlin RiVt!Jr Toun v. t'nited States) that the dams and re.ervoirs have alre.dy gre.tIy intproved navigation over the aaD.1raJ conditions and the operating in .ccordance with th. Decree does IlOt require may'''";",;1'1g the first priority .lements to the great d.tnm.nt of the other priontie.. The Operating Criteri. comport with the st.tute. the c"mpact. and the Decree for operalin8 Hoover Dam and the other dama on the lower c"lorado River. Navig.bility of the river 11l'.tream of Lake M..d ia depead.nt "" role.... from Lak. PowelL Becauae the Dean deals with storage and rel..se of water only with respect to Low.r iluiD reserv.olnl. it affords no pnonty to navigation on the river upstream of I..ake Mead. Th. Operating Criteri. do not .p.cifically addreu prioriti.. of purpoaes. Specific concema of balancins priori tie' .hould be .ddres.ed during developm.nt of the AOP. Tne Operating Criteria need no cb.anses with respect to priorities of p1lrlIoses. [55ue 2: Whether the aWlimum objective rei.... stated LO the Operating Criteria .bould be cb.anged Analysis: Article U (2) of the Operating Criteria .tates th.t.- . . the obj.ctive Joball be 10 O18.I.Dtain . .aJ,i.nimum release of water &-om Lake be:- ::. :9'9: " ~otlces 41517 ?-:-'.l"~~ :: ~ :n.ill.Joa acre-leet . . .'. 7'.:e ~tln.@ Critena make no expiicu ;:'"O'\-..s.o::.s (or ar.n1J.al release, ol less C".a..: l....:J oillion acre-feet (MAF). There iJ"!: c::::::ct:Jons WhlQ proiubit annual ,..:e..... gre.ter th.n a.Zl MM. They OCC"".:."' ....:.en the rO~c,a,1 far September 30 ~'''''1 that eui:er: :. 7"oe L:pper 8.sin storase WIll be iess -::::.J..O. eo:::(a) slora~e. :. ~ Powell aeave .Iarage will be less "';"11- :be active stor2ge of Uke ~!ea:. HC"'e.er. rele..es from Lake Powell 8='3?- th.:l a.Zl MAF are made. if in ~ ~:.a.:: of operations. the forecast of Sept=6er JO .how, th.t Upp.r 8asia aQ.'\"1! sto~e will be greater lhan the qua.::::y of 602(.) "orase. ia order to ;lCCO=;:llM any or all of the followinS obiec::>'es: 1..lrsnc rele..es can reuonably be .pJ:llie<! in the low.r divi.ion states lG the uses specifi.d in Article Wle) of the c"c:;:act and provided that active stC':'3R'! in Lake Powell i. nat Ie,. than ac=.~; storage in we MeacL :. To equalize BellV. ,torage between wes Powell .nd M..d. J. To ,,'oid antiClp.ted ,pilla from ~ Powell Ta. c"c;:>.ct require. that the Upper Ohi5ic:1 Slal.. ,hall nOI deplete the flow .t Lee Ferry below an "lllIfe88te of 73 ~HF for any period of 10 consecutive yean. Th. principal purpose of the O;>en~ c.-iteria is to make provision for tU storage of water in Storase Uni~ of ~ c"iorado River Stmqe Project ;u:d ~ ~..d .nd the release of water therei:=1 in .ccordance with Section 6m of "'" c"lorado River Basin Project Ad (l'-...il. 1.. 9D-S37J. Th. Operating Cril2r".a u recommettded by the Secre!a1y repres.nt a compnsmise between Upper and Lower Basia positions an w.'er UI8 and delivery . The a~plication of the minimum release objective baa severaJ in:;>Ucations. includin;: (1) A lower !.aka ~ storage volume dnrinS droQ3ht periods and . more .table Lake Mead storage valamo. (2) . more COIlSLstenl reJease ""8ime through the Grand Ca::yon. and f31 . more conaiatent bue for !ll4ri:elin8 the energy and cap.city from tile Glen Canyon Dam pow.rpla.nl. The resalting rele.... b.ve less var.awty tlwl either the predam flowa or the !!ows that would result from .pplyiq the delivery requlremenla contained in Article. W(c) and (d) of the c"lI1I'8CL The L:pper Divi,ion State. object III the mimmmn rel...e objective of 8.Z3 MAr per year IIId to the eqaalizadoa pnl'Yisi<xlo of the Operalin8 CrlleriL Howner, those st.t.s did aol object III