States to offer new Colorado River plan

Nevada and six Western states plan to present on Thursday a proposal to reduce California's demand for Colorado River water to the Interior Department, but local officials warn that a deal is far from final.

Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt has warned California for seven years to reduce its reliance on the river and learn to live on 4.4 million acre-feet a year -- that state's legal share of the Colorado.

California had received more than 5 million acre-feet a year until fast-growing Nevada and Arizona started demanding their unused shares.

Under the plan, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico would agree to allow the three lower basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada to take surplus water from the river. The interior secretary can declare a surplus each year, and Babbitt has done so in the 1990s.

"Everybody thinks we've made a lot of progress, but the environmental impacts have not been reviewed yet," said Kay Brothers, resources director for Southern Nevada Water Authority. "We're very encouraged. It's a huge step for all seven states to agree."

Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager Pat Mulroy and Deputy Manager David Donnelly were on their way to Washington, D.C., along with other state representatives to present the plan to Babbitt.

Public comments on environmental effects to the plan close on Sept. 8, Brothers said. During August, public hearings will be held throughout the Southwest, including one in Las Vegas on Aug. 15.

A seven-state deal would extend the river's supply to Southern Nevada for 15 years, beyond 2007 when the Las Vegas Valley is expected to use its full share of 300,000 acre feet of river water. An acre foot of water can supply a family of four or five people for one year.

California could draw down water stored in Lake Mead for a 15-year period, but not as drastically as agricultural users there had wanted. Instead of lowering the lake by a proposed 112 feet, the level would drop about 12 feet at most, as long as there is no extended drought, water authority spokesman Vince Alberta said.

Nevada and Arizona officials protested the drastic 112-foot drop in Lake Mead last year, because Southern Nevada's intake pipes could be left high and dry if California took too much water.

The draft plan does not allow any significant drop in Lake Powell, which straddles Arizona and Utah behind Glen Canyon Dam.

While environmentalists have pushed for more water for downstream wetlands such as the Las Vegas Wash and the Colorado River Delta in Mexico, the plan does not deal with those issues. However, the draft does not rule out more water for endangered and threatened species.

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