Laserfiche WebLink
<br />CONCEPTUAL APPROACH <br />for <br />REACHING BASIN STATES AGREEMENT <br />on <br />INTERIM OPERATION OF COLORADO RIVER SYSTEM RESERVOIRS, <br />CALIFORNIA'S USE 01" COLORADO RIVER WATER <br />ABOVE ITS BASIC APPORTIONMENT, <br />and <br />IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INTERSTATE WATER BANK <br /> <br />I. BACKGROUND <br /> <br />Although the reservoir system on the Colorado River has been <br />drawn down since July 1987 for a variety of reasons, over 40 maf of <br />water remains in active storage. California's position has been <br />that the average annual runoff within the Colorado River Basin <br />exceeds the average annual depletions by 1.8 maf suggesting that a <br />surplus condition on the Colorado River does exist. In fact, <br />within the next five years there is about a 37 percent chance of <br />anticipatory flood releases J:>eing made from Lake Mead. Also, <br />studies conducted by the Bureau of Reclamation indicate that the <br />current storage in the Upper Basin is significantly above that <br />amount required to meet the 602 (a) storage requirement and the <br />storage in the Lower Basin is above that amount required to meet <br />delivery obligations to Mexico and the basic apportionment of each <br />of the Lower Division states. <br /> <br />However, with the Colorado River System reservoirs being drawn <br />down, the other Basin states have been reluctant to agree to <br />supporting California's requests for Colorado River water totalling <br />5.2 maf, even though technical studies have shown that those <br />requests could be met without causing any increase in the chance of <br />a shortage to any Colorado River water user between now and any <br />reasonable foreseeable date in the future. It is those states' <br />position that as there is no risk of future shortage, California <br />should indemnify those states against the possibility of a <br />shortage. As a result, discussions by the other Basin States have <br />turned away from the technical studies and the process and <br />procedures for guiding development of the annual operating plans <br />and have focused on California's use of water above its basic <br />apportionment of 4.4 maf per year, how California intends to reduce <br />its use of Colorado River water, and how California intends to <br />provide Metropolitan with a full Colorado River Aqueduct within <br />California's basic apportionment. <br /> <br />The Criteria for Coordinated Long-Range Operation of Colorado <br />River Reservoirs (Operating criteria) developed pursuant to the <br />COlorado River Basin Project Act of September 30, 1968 (P.L. 90- <br />537) requires the Secretary of the Interior to annually prepare a <br /> <br />1 <br />