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Show 114 UPDATING THE HOOVER DAM DOCUMENTS As a result of negotiation, Section 601 of the House Committee approved bill contained a list of priorities to govern the storage of water in storage units of the Colorado River Storage Project and releases of water from Lake Powell. The priorites were: (1) Releases in accordance with Article III(c) of the Compact; (2) Releases in accordance with Article IH(d); and (3) Accumulation of storage in the Upper Basin not required for (1) and (2) and releases to meet uses specified Article IH(e). Compromise language was agreed upon in Section 601 (b) (3) which would direct the Secretary, in determining the quantity of storage in Lake Powell "reasonably necessary" pursuant to the Compact, to consider all relevant factors, including, but not limited to, historic streamflows, the most critical period of record, and probabilities of water supply. Use of the probability approach was favored by the Lower Basin interests over a rigid rule curve proposed by the Upper Basin since, in the Lower Basin's opinion, the latter would require the maintenance of progressively larger quantities of holdover storage in Lake Powell at the expense of storage in Lake Mead as Upper Basin depletions increase, would limit the regulatory capability of Lake Powell, and possibly result in excessive spills in Lake Powell with a resultant loss of power production (see Annual Report, Colorado River Board of California, 1965-66, pages 11-13, and 29-30). This matter reemerged in the discussions preceding adoption of the Operating Criteria. H.R.4671 discussed in 1966 did not leave the Rules Committee. The Pacific Northwest States opposed the possibility of exporting Columbia River water. "Save the Grand Canyon" campaigns were publicized. Administration support was lacking and Senate leaders wanted House approval before acting (see pages 41-46, Eighteenth Annual Report of the Upper Colorado River Commission dated September 30, 1966). However, the Colorado River Basin Project Act, which contained priority language in Section 602 similar to that in H.R.4671, was signed by President Johnson on September 30, 1968 (see Appendix 1202 for text of Act). B. Colorado River Basin Project Act - Section 602(a) Section 602(a) of the Colorado River Basin Project Act dated September 30, 1968, 82 Stat. 900 (Public Law 90-537), required the Secretary of the Interior to propose "criteria for the coordinated long-range operation of the reservoirs constructed and operated under the authority of the Colorado River Storage Project Act, the Boulder Canyon Project Act, and the Boulder Canyon Project Adjustment Act." Section 602(a) further stated that the criteria make provision for the storage of water in the Upper Basin storage units and releases of water from Lake Powell in a listed order of priorities stated below. Section 602(b) directed that not later than January 1, 1970, the proposed criteria be submitted to the Governors of the seven Basin States and other interested parties for review and comment and that the Secretary adopt appropriate criteria not later than July 1, 1970. The text of Section 602(a) and the above-mentioned order of priorities follows: "Sec. 602(a) In order to comply with and carry out the provisions of the Colorado River Compact, the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact, and the Mexican Water Treaty, the Secretary shall propose criteria for the coordinated long-range operation of the reservoirs constructed and operated under the authority of the Colorado River Storage Project Act, the Boulder Canyon Project Act, and the Boulder Canyon Project Adjustment Act. To effect in part the purposes expressed in this paragraph, the criteria shall make provision for the storage of water in storage units of the Colorado River Storage Project and releases of water from Lake Powell in the following listed order of priority: (1) Releases to supply one-half the deficiency described in Article III(c) of the Colorado River Compact, if any such deficiency exists and is chargeable to the States of the Upper Division, but in any event such releases, if any, shall not be required in any year that the Secretary makes the determination and issues the proclamation specified in Section 202 of this Act; (2) Releases to comply with Article III(d) of the Colorado River Compact, less such quantities of water delivered into the Colorado River below Lee Ferry to the credit of the States of the Upper Division from other sources; and (3) Storage of water not required for the releases specified in clauses (1) and (2) of this subsection to the extent that the Secretary, after consultation with the Upper Colorado River Commission and representatives of the three Lower Division States and taking into consideration all relevant factors (including, |
