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<br />. <br /> <br />--e <br /> <br />apportionment of7.5 maf, it is essential that the Long-Range Operating Criteria address the existing <br />conditions and the full range of expected reservoir operations. An attachment to the letter, <br />containing specific comments, listed a number of observations that the Board has made in its review <br />of the Long-Range Operating Criteria, as well as observations made in the consultation process <br />associated with development of the annual operating plans. A copy of the Board's December 31 st <br />letter to Reclamation is included in the Board folder. Also included in the Board folder, for your <br />reference, are copies of the comment letters from the Board's member agencies, which were sent to <br />Reclamation. Specifically, comment letters were sent from the Coachella Valley Water District, <br />the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the San Diego County Water Authority, and The <br />Metropolitan Water District of South em California. The comment letter from the Imperial Irrigation <br />District was included in the November 6th Board folder. <br /> <br />Also included in the Board folder are the comments from the Arizona Department of Water <br />Resources, the Irrigation & Electrical Districts Association of Arizona, the Upper Colorado River <br />Commission, and the State of Colorado. Essentially, all of these respondents are in agreement that <br />there is no need, at this time, to make changes to the Criteria <br /> <br />Basin StRt"srrribeS Discussion <br /> <br />Last month I discussed the meeting held in San Diego, California whereat the Colorado River <br />Board Agency Managers met with representatives from the other Colorado River Basin states <br />concerning California's use of Colorado River water. At the 1996 Annual Conference of the <br />Colorado River Water Users Association, Secretary Babbitt referenced that meeting and the <br />subsequent letter that was signed by representatives of the other six Basin states to the California <br />representatives. (A copy of the Basin States letter was included in the December Board folder.) <br /> <br />In his address to the conferees, he indicated that there are several areas related to the <br />Colorado River that need attention and would be addressed as follows: <br /> <br />1. Reclamation will work with the Imperial Irrigation District (llD) to quantify the amount <br />of water liD is beneficially using. <br /> <br />2. Reclamation will develop water management regulations in the Lower Basin focused <br />on intrastate marketing and interstate marketing within the Lower Basin based on state- <br />approved, willing buyer/willing seller transactions. In this regard, special attention will <br />be placed on implementation of programs such as the Arizona Water Bank. <br /> <br />3. The Department of the Interior stands ready to assist, and if necessary, to assume <br />leadership in clarifying the relative rights of the agricultural agencies in California under <br />the Seven Party Agreement, as a precondition to water marketing. <br /> <br />4. Reclamation will be directed to proceed with the development of guidelines for making <br />surplus determinations; however, the guidelines will not be finalized until California has <br /> <br />4 <br />