The Bureau of Reclamation has initiated a process to construct an 8,000 acre-foot storage reservoir near Drop 2 on the All-American Canal in southern California. (See Plan Photo here.)

The new reservoir would store Colorado River water that has been released from Parker Dam to meet downstream water orders but cannot be delivered for various reasons, such as changed weather conditions, high runoff into the river, or a number of other factors. This water typically is not put to beneficial use within the United States due to the lack of sufficient storage capacity below Parker Dam.

Reclamation and lower Colorado River basin water users have for some years considered various operational strategies to address these non-storable flows, which average about 70,000 acre-feet annually. In 2005, in cooperation with Imperial Irrigation District, Coachella Valley Water District, San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Reclamation completed a study that identified several potential alternatives to address this issue; this project was the preferred option.

In December 2006, Section 396 of Public Law 109-432 directed Reclamation to "design and provide for the construction, operation and maintenance of a regulated water storage facility ... at or near the All-American Canal."

The reservoir will provide:

• Additional operational flexibility in the lower Colorado River system, and


• additional storage capacity to reduce non-storable flows on the Colorado River below Parker Dam.

For more information on this project, you can navigate through the menu options above or contact Mike Vandevelde at mvandevelde@lc.usbr.gov or 928-343-8165, or Dave Palumbo at dpalumbo@lc.usbr.gov or 702-293-8131.