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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />'..I <br /> <br />of agricultural priority water to the Indian tribes, for a 100 year period. Section 105 of the Act is titled <br />"Firming of Central Arizona Project Indian Water." The intended purpose ofthis section is to develop <br />a program so that this newly allocated water has the same priority as M&I water during water shortages, <br /> <br />Arizona and the federal government have reached an agreement on each parties responsibilities <br />in firming up this water. Arizona has agreed to firm up 23,724 acre-feet while the federal government <br />has agreed to firm up 36,923 acre-feet. Arizona is considering using the Arizona Water Banking <br />Authority as the vehicle to firm up this water supply for the Indian tribes. <br /> <br />Unauthorized Use of Colorado River Water <br /> <br />Representatives from Reclamation and the Lower Division States are continuing to meet on how <br />to handle the unauthorized diversions and uses of Colorado River water. A meeting was held on June 2, <br />2003, to continue those discussions. <br /> <br />During the June 2nd meeting, the u.S. Geological Survey discussed the reports that it has <br />prepared to delineate the accounting surface and the areal extent of the Colorado River aquifer. Any <br />well located within the accounting surface is assumed to be pumping Colorado River water, ifthe static <br />water elevation in the well is at, or below, the elevation of the Colorado River at its normal stage. In <br />conjunction with its efforts to delineate the accounting surface, the U,S. Geological Survey, under <br />contract with Reclamation has undertaken an inventory of water wells located within the accounting <br />surface. To date, 3,010 wells have been inventoried: 1,457 in Arizona, 1,549 in California, and 4 in <br />Nevada. This well inventory by the U,S. Geological Survey ia an ongoing effort and is being updated <br />with new infonnation as it becomes available. Currently, there are a number ofthe known wells in the <br />Mohave Valley in Arizona, and in the Yuma and PVID areas that have not been inventoried and entered <br />into the data base. <br /> <br />~ <br />.1 Also, as part of the well inventory project, the U.S. Geological Survey is identifying and <br />, I <br />. I locating river pumpers, those individuals pumping directly out of the Colorado River. To date. 265 <br />\ such diversions have been identified: 91 in Arizona, 173 in California, and 1 in Nevada. Information <br />1 regarding the wells and river pumpers can be accessed on the U.S. Geological Survey's website,located <br />at htto:/ / az. water. USgs. gOV /lcr/oages/lcr. htm. <br /> <br />During the meeting, the general sense ofthose present was that the use of Colorado River water <br />by unauthorized diverters needs to be addressed. However, it was detennined that there are several <br />issues that still need to be addressed, These issues include: how is the best way to move fOlward (a rule, <br />a Secretarial determination, litigation under Arizona vs. California, or other); is there a de minimus <br />pumping standard; how should wells in the limitrophe section of the River be treated; should <br />commingled ground water be treated different than commingled surface water; and should there be a <br />distance from the River or flood plain standard? <br /> <br />4 <br />