November 26, 1996

NEVADA SENIORS COALITION
A Better Quality of Life for Seniors
(Las Vegas, NV): Nevada Seniors Question Babbitt's Motives in Grand Canyon "Flood Experiment"

"Flood" releases of 45,000 cfs (cubic feet per second), about 25,000 cfs higher than normal, were made from Glen Canyon Dam during March 26 - April 2, 1996 to renovate beaches and habitat in Grand Canyon. On April 11, just days after the $4.5 million "flood experiment," Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt proclaimed, "The beaches and species habitat through the Grand Canyon appear to have been significantly restored." Others were skeptical of Babbitt's hasty conclusions. Dave Foster, a Grand Canyon boatman, stated in an April 15, 1996 letter to "High Country News," "this event will not be allowed to fail." He continued, "The 'flood' waters hadn't even reached Lake Mead and the thing is a success." Babbitt signed the controversial Glen Canyon Dam Environmental Impact Statement on October 8, 1996, stating during the signing ceremonies that, "This hereby mandates that we will flood this river in perpetuity for the benefit of all parties."

Downstream in Lake Mead the "flood experiment" added 690,000 acre feet of water to the reservoir. The Bureau of Reclamation announced on August 1, 1996 that "surplus" water was available from Lake Mead. Reclamation further determined water delivered to Arizona would be exempt from the acreage limitation and full cost provisions of the Reclamation Reform Act. In announcing the exemption, Robert W. Johnson, Director of Reclamation's Lower Colorado Region, said, "Because of the unique circumstances of having surplus water available on the Colorado River while the Southwest is suffering from drought, we were able to grant Arizona's request for this exemption." Runoff in the Colorado River was only 92% of normal in 1996. Consumptive water use for the lower basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada will be 8.061 million acre feet in 1996, or about 500,000 acre feet higher than the normal 7.5 million acre feet annual entitlement. Arizona will get about 73,000 acre feet of this year's surplus; California will get the rest.

"I suppose Babbitt's great 'flood experiment' is this year's water surplus?" says Ken Mahal, President of the Nevada Seniors Coalition. Mahal is a critic of Interior's Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a $1.7 billion water project proposed for Las Vegas. The project is designed to pump nearly twice Nevada's annual river entitlement of 300,000 acre feet. The seniors asked Babbitt to halt the project until Nevada gets a corresponding increase in its entitlement. Mahal's seniors also demanded answers to serious deficiencies discovered in the EIS by Dr. Larry Paulson, a Colorado River water expert and consultant for the seniors. They submitted Paulson's 200 page report to Babbitt and EPA Administrator, Carol Browner to back up their requests to reevaluate the project.

Las Vegas water authority manager, Patricia Mulroy, stated on October 24, 1996, "We are currently negotiating with Arizona to bank water to store for future use." Mahal says, "it wouldn't surprise me if they try getting some water to store from 'flood experiments,' but it won't work, California gets most of the surplus." Babbitt approved the EIS last week, even though he could not guarantee more water for Las Vegas.

Interior also failed to address the senior's water quality concerns. Drinking water contamination caused a Cryptosporidium outbreak in Las Vegas during 1994 that killed 32 people. Interior stated in written comments to Mahal, "It would not be appropriate in this EIS to evaluate the possible link between wastewater discharges and Cryptosporidium, since this EIS has nothing to do with wastewater discharges." Las Vegas discharges 125 million gallons of wastewater daily back to Lake Mead just six miles upstream of the water intakes for the existing and proposed facilities. Interior gives Nevada return flow credits for wastewater discharges back to the river. For every gallon of wastewater returned, Nevada can draw another gallon of drinking water up to its maximum entitlement. Paulson called Babbitt's decision, "a dangerous mix of environmental hypocrisy and governmental arrogance." He continued, "now the water authority wants us to pay for this mess with a 1/4% increase in sales tax!" Mahal vows to keep fighting, "they're not getting by with this $1.7 billion water crap shoot!"

L. Kenneth Mahal, A.I.A.
President
(702) 737-1377

Larry J. Paulson, Ph.D.
Water Consultant
(702)566-1466