Review of Existing Coordinated Long-Range Operating Criteria for Colorado River Reservoirs

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

Review of Existing Coordinated Long-Range Operating Criteria for

Colorado River Reservoirs

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation will be conducting a public meeting

for a preliminary review of the comments received on the review of the

1970 Criteria for Coordinated Long-Range Operation of Colorado River

Reservoirs (Criteria). Members of the Reclamation review team will be

available to discuss the comments and Reclamation's analyses and

responses to the key issues, and to receive any additional input from

the public regarding the analyses and responses. In addition to the

public meeting, Reclamation will extend a final comment period through

May 16, 1997.

As part of the Criteria review, Reclamation has incorporated an

active public involvement process that includes all interested

stakeholders. This public process is designed to solicit comments on

Criteria provisions that may need revision as the result of actual

operating experience, and to disclose the results of the analysis.

Reclamation published a notice in the Federal Register on October

31, 1996, asking for written comments and announcing two public

meetings to be held in November and December 1996. Detailed written

comments were received from 17 interested agencies and the two public

meetings provided Reclamation with numerous issues, comments, and

concerns regarding possible changes to the Criteria.

DATE AND LOCATION: The public meeting will be held at the following

time and location:

Las Vegas, Nevada--Tuesday, April 22, 1997, at 12 noon at McCarran

Airport, Commissioners Meeting Room, 5th Floor, Main Terminal.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bruce Moore, Bureau of Reclamation, 125 South State Street, Room 6107,

Salt Lake City, Utah 84138-1102 telephone (801) 524-3702, or Jayne

Harkins, Bureau of Reclamation, P.O. Box 61470, Boulder City, Nevada

89005, telephone (702) 293-8190.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 1970 Criteria for Coordinated Long-Range

Operation of Colorado River Reservoirs, promulgated pursuant to Public

Law 90-537, were published in the Federal Register on June 10, 1970.

The Criteria provided 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 for the purposes of complying

with and carrying out the provisions of the Colorado River Compact, the

Upper Colorado River Basin Compact, and the Mexican Water Treaty.

The 1970 Criteria specified that a formal review take place at

least once every five years with participation by such Colorado River

Basin state representatives as each Governor may designate, and other

parties and agencies as the Secretary of the Interior may deem

appropriate. Public Law 90-537 allows the Secretary, as a result of

actual operating experience or unforeseen circumstances, to modify the

Criteria to better accomplish the purposes of the two basin compacts

and the Mexican Water Treaty. The Commissioner of Reclamation is the

authorized agent of the Secretary for the purpose of conducting and

coordinating this review.

This is the fifth review of the Criteria conducted since its

initial promulgation in 1970. Previous reviews of the Criteria were

initiated in 1975, 1980, 1985, and 1990. They resulted in no changes to

the operating Criteria.

[[Page 14943]]

Dated: March 25, 1997.

Eluid L. Martinez,

Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation.

[FR Doc. 97-7948 Filed 3-27-97; 8:45 am]

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