Feds say no to cut in Powell releases

LAS VEGAS — In an apparent victory for California, Arizona and Nevada, Interior Secretary Gale Norton on Monday rejected a plea by four other states to cut releases of Colorado River water from drought-depleted Lake Powell.

In letters to governors, including Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., and water officials in the seven Colorado River basin states, Norton said melting snow is projected to be slightly above average for the rest of the year and more water is stored in reservoirs now than had been projected last year.

"We have concluded that an adjustment to the release amount from Lake Powell during the next five months is not warranted," she said.

However, Norton also declared her authority over managing water flow on the river; said she wants another review next April to see if adjustments should be made; and instructed the states to start meeting this month on a long-range plan to share river water during drought.

Questions about how much water should be released through the Glen Canyon Dam in Page, Ariz., have split the states that rely on the river for drinking water and power.

Upper-basin states Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico argue that heavy winter rains raised Lake Mead downstream enough to justify an unprecedented reduction in water released from Lake Powell, now at 34 percent capacity.

"The decision is not what Utah or the upper states had asked for, but it is not different from what was expected, so it's not really a surprise," said Tammy Kikuchi, spokeswoman for Huntsman. "Apparently the upper and lower states agreed to abide by whatever Secretary Norton's decision would be, so we will abide by it."

Although the snowpack has increased, warm, windy weather could reduce the amount of runoff making into the waterways, said Don Ament, Colorado agriculture commissioner and member of that state water conservation board.

"It's just like counting your chickens before they're hatched or counting your wheat harvest before it's in the bin. All kinds of things can happen," Ament said. "It's always been my feeling that you store water as high as you can because you can always release it later."

Lower-basin states California, Arizona and Nevada maintain that holding water back at Lake Powell would threaten their ability to draw water and power from Lake Mead, now at 62 percent capacity.