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<br />SECTION I: THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS
<br />
<br />A, PROCEDURAL HISTORY
<br />
<br />On July 10, 2002, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) illltiated proceedings under
<br />43 CF.R, Part 417 for calendar year 20031 by requesting that each contractor for
<br />Colorado River water within the State of California provide its best estimates a, to their
<br />water requirements for 2003, By letter dated September 9,2002, Imperial Inigallon
<br />District (liD) provided Reclamation with lID's estimated 2003 Colorado River water
<br />diversion requirements at Imperial Dam in the amount of 3, I 00,000 acre- feet and further
<br />estimated that 104,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water would be available for
<br />diversion from Lake Havasu for delivery to TIle Metropolitan Water District of Southern
<br />California (MWD) in accordance with existing water conservation agreements,
<br />
<br />On December 16, 2002 the Secretary of Interior adopted the 2003 Annual Operating Plan
<br />for Colorado River System Reservoirs (2003 AOP), The applicable provisions of tlie
<br />2003 AOP provide that use of mainstream Colorado River Water in the Lower Basin
<br />States of Arizona, California, and Nevada in 2003 will be limited to 7,5 million acre-teet,
<br />as provided in Article I1(B)(I) of the Decree in Arizona v, California, Under this
<br />provision of the Decree, use of mainstream Colorado River water in the Lower Basin was
<br />reduced from approximately 8.4 million acre- feet in 2002 to 7,5 million acre- feet in 2003,
<br />Under the 2003 AOP, use in California is limited to 4.4 million acre-feet in 2003,
<br />
<br />Annual water orders from California users, including I1D, totaled approximately
<br />5,2 million acre-feet for 2003, Given these reductions in available supply and the
<br />extraordinarily low inflow amounts within the Colorado Basin over the last four years,
<br />Reclamation was required to review Lower Basin operations to assure that all delivelies
<br />and diversions of mainstream water use are in strict accordance with the Decree,
<br />applicable statutes, contracts, and agreements, and rules and regulations,
<br />
<br />On December 27, 2002, the Department of the Interior (Interior) issued approved annual
<br />water orders for users within the State of California totaling 4.4 million acre-feet,
<br />consistent with the applicable provisions of the Supreme Court Decree and the 2003
<br />AOP, With respect to Imperiallnigation District, on December 27, 2002, Interior issued
<br />an approved annual water order for liD for 2003 in the amount of 2,858,900 acrc- feet of
<br />diversions at Imperial Dam and 104,000 acre- feet of diversions tl'om Lake Havasu for
<br />delivery to MWD, The approved 2003 diverSions at Imperial Dam are subject to
<br />adjustment in the event of an overuse repayment requirement for 2002, Simultaneously,
<br />Interior issued annual water order approvals for other major users of Colorado River
<br />water within the State of Cali fomi a, including Palo Verde Jnigation District (PVID),
<br />Coachella Valley Inigation District (CVWD) and MWD,
<br />
<br />i All references to years in this determination are made on a calendar year bas,s (i.e., frc:n J.J.n ! - Dec. 3!
<br />of/he lefercnced year)
<br />
<br />July 2, 2003
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<br />7
<br />
<br />Determinations and Recommendations
<br />For liD - Calendar Year 2003
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