STATEMENT OF HOUSE INTERIOR COMMITTEE Mr. Chairman: Having worked with numerous residents, businesses, local government officials and various federal agencies since mid-June on the impact of the high water releases, I appreciate the opportunity to sit with the Committee today. The impact on District Three has been substantial. Individual and property damage and loss has been staggering in some areas, and we are now facing some very serious problems affecting the health and safety of those along the River. Tourism has dropped significantly along the River, including the parks and recreation areas which bound the Colorado. As a consequence, businesses and communities who are dependent on tourism and recreational dollars are suffering, and the recovery will take some time. The long term effects will be seen in vital areas such as agriculture. As in any situation where lives and property may be endangered, communication and the exchange of information is vital. The hearing today is an important part of that process, and I commend the Chairman for his efforts in holding today's hearings. The Interior Committee has direct oversight responsibility in the actions of the Bureau of Reclamation. It is therefore important that a record be made through hearings such as this, so that as much information as possible is available to the Committee for any decisions which may be made regarding the operations of the Colorado River. In addition, I 26-099 0-83--14 feel that it is extremely important for the Committee to hear first-hand about the impacts and implications of the actions of all parties involved, so that fair treatment and consideration can be both expected and insured at the hands of the federal government. Throughout the last twelve weeks, I have considered it a major function to insure that all communications between all parties was clear. That was not necessarily the case in the early stages of high water releases, and for that reason, I both personally visited the damaged areas myself, and dispatched my staff immediately to be of assistance to individuals, businesses and local governments. I will continue to be available to work out any resolution or compromise, so that the problems being faced by the residents of the Colorado River communities are identified and addressed as completely as possible. I look forward to receiving today's testimony, and to continuing to work with all parties involved. STATEMENT OF HONORABLE HANK BROWN COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS CONCERNING THE OPERATION OF COLORADO RESERVOIRS I am writing to request that my statement be included in the record for the field hearings that were held in Yuma, Arizona, and Needles, California, September 7 and 8, by the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, concerning the operation of the Colorado River reservoirs by the Bureau of Reclamation. As a party to the Colorado River Compacts, Colorado is interested in the operation of the reservoirs. During unpredictable flooding conditions on the Colorado River, the Bureau of Reclamation was faced with the difficult task of effectively operating the reservoirs to maintain the increased water flows. My understanding is that the Bureau of Reclamation operated the reservoirs within the framework set forth in the "Criteria for Coordinated Long-Range Operation of the Colorado River Reservoirs," as required by the Colorado Basin Project Act of 1968. My hope is that the Colorado Basin States and the Bureau of Reclamation will conduct a thorough review of Colorado River management practices. STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE RAY KOGOVSEK, BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, I wish to thank you for the opportunity to address the Committee, regarding the recent flooding situation on the Colorado River Basin. As you are aware, the events that have taken place, regarding the extraordinarily high run-off yield, are as important to the Upper Colorado River Basin states, as they are to the lower basin. We are concerned about the impacts upon the people in the entire basin. However, we are equally concerned about any consideration of, or recommendation by the Committee, suggesting a permenent change in the operating procedures of the basin projects for flood control purposes-- particularly the upper basin. Therefore, I wholeheartedly support and endorse the statement and testimony presented by Mr. J. William McDonald, Executive Director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board. It is important to remember that although the projects in question provide flood control benefits and protections, they are not designated Corps of Engineers flood control projects. They are Bureau of Reclamation projects, with the primary responsibility for providing storage and delivery capacity for agriculture and municipal and industrial water supplies. The question being raised today is whether the Bureau of Reclamation was responsible in its operating decisions, inappropriate in actions, and within established guidelines for the operation of basin reservoirs during this abnormal spring run-off. It is my firm belief that the Bureau of Reclamation was fully responsible in its decision making, and wholly within established guidelines, and that it should be commended for its operating procedures under a crisis situation. It's easy to react and lay blame in haste, particularly during and after a crisis situation that results in the loss of property. However, failure to closely examine the facts will most certainly result in a report, and possibly future actions, which are not fair, wellfounded, equitable, or in the best interest of the basin states and the nation. I therefore, strongly recommend that the Committee not take any action to modify the "Criteria for Coordinated, Long-Range Operation of the Colorado River Reservoirs", and that we hereafter proceed only with the unanimous recommendation (s) of the basin states. Mr. Chairman, I think it is important to differentiate between "reality" and "great expectations." Nobody can argue that the run-off that occurred in the spring of 1983 was considered normal. Furthermore, the experts agree that the preciseness and accuracy of weather predictions are limited in correlation to the degree of any given time frame. Thus, given the weather reports, including the degree of accuracy, available to the Bureau, the only alternative would have been to predict the weather without a margin of error to date, an impossibility in the profession. As the Chairman is well aware, even the General Accounting Office concluded that high releases would have still occurred, if the Bureau had initiated releasing additional water in the upper basin - in January, even though all reports indicated normal weather conditions and only slightly higher than normal runoff. In considering the circumstances involved, you must keep in mind that peak inflows to Lake Powell were about 120,000 cfs, yet releases in the lower mainstem of the Colorado River never exceeded, on an average daily basis, 42,000 cfs. This is less than the 73,000 cfs of flow |