[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 189 (Friday, September 30, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57322-57323]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-19607]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Colorado River Reservoir Operations: Development of Lower Basin 
Shortage Guidelines and Coordinated Management Strategies for Lake 
Powell and Lake Mead Under Low Reservoir Conditions

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) and notice to solicit comments and hold public scoping meetings 
on the development of Lower Basin shortage guidelines and coordinated 
management strategies for the operation of Lake Powell and Lake Mead 
under low reservoir conditions.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 
Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) proposes to conduct public scoping 
meetings and prepare an EIS for the development of Lower Colorado River 
Basin Shortage Guidelines and Coordinated Management Strategies for 
Operation of Lake Powell and Lake Mead Under Low Reservoir Conditions. 
The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) has directed Reclamation to 
develop additional Colorado River management strategies to address 
operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead under low reservoir conditions.
    The proposed action is to develop these guidelines and strategies. 
Through the NEPA process initiated by this Federal Register notice, 
Reclamation is considering development of: (1) Specific guidelines that 
will identify those circumstances under which the Department of the 
Interior (Department) would reduce annual water deliveries from Lake 
Mead to the Lower Basin States below the 7.5 million acre-feet (maf) 
Lower Basin apportionment and the manner in which those deliveries 
would be reduced, and (2) coordinated management strategies for the 
operation of Lake Powell and Lake Mead.
    Alternatives to be analyzed in the EIS have not been developed at 
this time and will be developed through the NEPA process, including 
through the upcoming EIS scoping meetings.

DATES AND ADDRESSES: Four public meetings will be held to solicit 
comments on the scope of specific shortage guidelines and other 
coordinated management strategies and the issues and alternatives that 
should be analyzed. Oral and written comments will be accepted at the 
public meetings to be held at the following locations:
     Tuesday, November 1, 2005--6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Hilton Salt 
Lake City Center, Topaz Room, 255 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, 
Utah.
     Wednesday, November 2, 2005--6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Adam's Mark 
Hotel, Tower Court D, 1550 Court Place, Denver, Colorado.
     Thursday, November 3, 2005--6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Arizona 
Department of Water Resources, Third Floor, Conference Rooms A&B, 500 
North Third Street, Phoenix, Arizona.
     Tuesday, November 8, 2005--6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Henderson 
Convention Center, Grand Ballroom, 200 South Water Street, Henderson, 
Nevada.
    Written comments on the proposed development of these strategies 
may be sent by close of business on Wednesday, November 30, 2005, to: 
Regional Director, Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region, 
Attention: BCOO-1000, PO Box 61470, Boulder City, Nevada 89006-1470, 
faxogram at (702) 293-8156, or e-mail at [email protected]; and/or 
Regional Director, Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region, 
Attention: UC-402, 125 South State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84318-
1147, faxogram at (801) 524-3858, or e-mail at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Terrance J. Fulp, PhD., at (702) 293-
8500 or e-mail at [email protected]; and/or Randall Peterson at 
(801) 524-3633 or e-mail at [email protected]. If special 
assistance is required regarding accommodations for attendance at any 
of the public meetings, please call Nan Yoder at (702) 293-8495, 
faxogram at (702) 293-8156, or e-mail at [email protected] no less 
than 5 working days prior to the applicable meeting(s).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In recent years the Colorado River Basin 
experienced the worst five-year drought

[[Page 57323]]

in recorded history. Drought in the Basin has impacted system storage, 
while demands for Colorado River water supplies have continued to 
increase. In the future, low reservoir conditions may not be limited to 
drought periods as additional development of Colorado River water 
occurs. The Colorado River is of strategic importance in the 
southwestern United States for water supply, hydropower production, 
recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and other benefits. In addition, 
the Republic of Mexico has an allocation to the waters of the Colorado 
River pursuant to a 1944 treaty with the United States.
    In 2001, the Department adopted Interim Surplus Guidelines (66 FR 
7772) that are used by the Secretary in making annual determinations 
regarding ``Normal'' and ``Surplus'' conditions for the operation of 
Lake Mead. Since adoption, these Guidelines have, among other 
operational and management benefits, allowed the Department and 
entities in Arizona, California, and Nevada that rely on the Colorado 
River greater predictability in identifying when Colorado River water 
in excess of 7.5 maf will be available for use within these three 
States. In contrast, at this time the Department does not have detailed 
guidelines in place for annual determinations of releases from Lake 
Mead of less than 7.5 maf to water users in the three Lower Division 
States of Arizona, California, and Nevada (often referred to as a 
``shortage'' condition on the lower Colorado River). Therefore, water 
users who rely on the Colorado River in these States are not currently 
able to identify particular reservoir conditions under which the 
Secretary would release less than 7.5 maf for use on an annual basis. 
Nor are these water users able to identify the amount of any potential 
future annual reductions in water deliveries.
    Over the past year, the seven Colorado River Basin States have been 
proactively discussing strategies to address the recent period of 
system-wide drought in the Colorado River Basin. In addition, 
Reclamation has conducted detailed briefings for stakeholders in the 
Colorado River Basin and other interested entities regarding future 
scenarios for Colorado River operations.
    Currently, each year, the Secretary establishes an Annual Operating 
Plan (AOP) for the Colorado River Reservoirs. The AOP describes how 
Reclamation will manage the reservoirs over a 12-month period, 
consistent with the Criteria for Coordinated Long-Range Operation of 
Colorado River Reservoirs Pursuant to the Colorado River Basin Project 
Act of September 30, 1968 (Long-Range Operating Criteria), the Decree 
entered by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Arizona v. California 
litigation, and other provisions of applicable Federal law. Reclamation 
consults annually with the Colorado River Basin States, Indian tribes, 
and other interested parties in the development of the AOP. Further, as 
part of the AOP process, the Secretary makes annual determinations 
under the Long-Range Operating Criteria regarding the availability of 
Colorado River water for deliveries to the Lower Division States. To 
meet the consultation requirements of Federal law, Reclamation also 
consults with the Colorado River Basin States, Indian tribes, and other 
interested parties during the five-year periodic reviews of the Long-
Range Operating Criteria.
    During the mid-year review of the 2005 AOP conducted this past 
spring, the Department received conflicting recommendations from the 
Colorado River Basin States regarding operations of Glen Canyon Dam for 
the remainder of the 2005 water year. In a May 2, 2005, letter to the 
Governors of the Colorado River Basin States, issued to complete the 
2005 AOP mid-year review, the Secretary directed Reclamation to develop 
additional strategies to improve coordinated management of the 
reservoirs in the Colorado River system. Pursuant to that direction, 
Reclamation conducted a public consultation workshop on May 26, 2005, 
in Henderson, Nevada; issued a Federal Register notice soliciting 
public comments on June 15, 2005; and conducted public meetings on July 
26 and July 28, 2005, in Henderson, Nevada, and Salt Lake City, Utah, 
respectively. Reclamation received a broad range of public comments and 
suggestions from these discussions, not all of which can be addressed 
in this proposed process. In addition, some suggestions may be part of 
ongoing or future efforts.
    In order to assure the continued productive management and use of 
the Colorado River into the future, Reclamation is now soliciting 
public comments on the development of Lower Basin shortage guidelines 
and coordinated management strategies for the operation of Lake Powell 
and Lake Mead under low reservoir conditions. Reclamation will utilize 
a public process pursuant to NEPA. By this notice, Reclamation provides 
notice of its intent to prepare an EIS on this action, and provides 
notice of its upcoming EIS scoping meetings. Reclamation invites all 
interested members of the general public, including the seven Colorado 
River Basin States, Indian tribes, water and power contractors, 
environmental organizations, representatives of academic and scientific 
communities, representatives of the recreation industry, and other 
organizations and agencies to present oral and written comments 
concerning the format and scope of specific shortage guidelines and 
coordinated management strategies, and the issues and alternatives to 
be considered during the development of these proposed guidelines and 
strategies. Reclamation anticipates publishing a ``scoping report'' 
after completion of the public scoping meetings identified in this 
Federal Register notice.
    All comments received will be considered as Reclamation develops 
formal alternatives under NEPA. Similar to the surplus guidelines 
referenced above, it is likely that these shortage guidelines will be 
interim in nature. It is the Department's intent that these guidelines 
and coordinated management strategies will provide guidance to the 
Secretary's AOP decisions, and provide more predictability to water 
users and the public throughout the Colorado River Basin, particularly 
those in the Lower Division States. The Department does not intend to 
evaluate the decommissioning of Glen Canyon Dam.

Public Disclosure

    Written comments, including names and home addresses of 
respondents, will be made available for public review. Individual 
respondents may request that their home address be withheld from public 
disclosure, which will be honored to the extent allowable by law. There 
may be circumstances in which respondents' identity may also be 
withheld from public disclosure, as allowable by law. If you wish to 
have your name and/or address withheld, you must state this prominently 
at the beginning of your comment. All submissions from organizations, 
business, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
made available for public disclosure in their entirety.

    Dated: September 22, 2005.
Rick L. Gold,
Regional Director--UC Region, Bureau of Reclamation.

    Dated: September 22, 2005.
Jayne Harkins,
Deputy Regional Director--LC Region, Bureau of Reclamation.
[FR Doc. 05-19607 Filed 9-29-05; 8:45 am]
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