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<br />-'OOll303 <br /> <br />'I <br />, <br /> <br />.. <br /> <br />Proposal for Interim Lake Mead Reservoir Operation Criteria Related to Surplus, Nonnal, <br />and Shortage Year Declarations <br /> <br />Prepared by Representatives of the States of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, <br />Utah, and Wyoming in Response to the Draft California 4.4 PIan <br /> <br />December 4, 1998 <br /> <br />I. Introduction <br /> <br /> <br />The States of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada. New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming ("Six <br /> <br />States") are encouraged by the progress presently being made by the Colorado River water users <br /> <br />within the State of California. who are endeavoring to formulate a defined, enforceable program <br /> <br /> <br />to reduce California's dependence on Colorado River water over its basic entitlement. If <br /> <br />implemented as envisioned, California's plan to gradually step-down from its current use of over <br /> <br />5.2 million acre-feet ("maf') of Colorado River water to its basic apportionment amount of 4.4 <br /> <br /> <br />maf over a ten-to-fifteen year period will be a significant accomplishment. <br /> <br />The California 4.4 Plan, however. is greatly dependent upon using Colorado River water <br /> <br />made available from surplus declarations on the Colorado River as a way to ease the State's <br /> <br />transition to living within its basic apportionment. The other Colorado River Basin States have <br /> <br />been, up to now. unwilling to enter into discussions on operating criteria that would <br /> <br />accommodate California's plan. The reason for this reticence is obvious--new reservoir operating <br /> <br />criteria on the Colorado River must only be an interim measure while California steps down its <br /> <br />Colorado River water use. The temporary criteria cannot be viewed as a means to continue <br /> <br />California's utilization of Colorado River water above its basic entitlement. Therefore. the Six <br /> <br /> <br />States have insisted that California demonstrate a tangible conunitment to reduce its water use <br /> <br />before entertaining discussions of transitory reservoir operating criteria that might facilitate that <br /> <br /> <br />reduction. <br /> <br />The Six States now believe that a reasonable draft plan has been formulated by California <br />and sufficient conunitment to the plan's implementation has been demonstrated by water users in <br />California to allow the initiation of discussions on special interim reservoir operating criteria. The <br />purpose of this paper is to describe the parameters of the interim criteria that would be acceptable <br />