Is FMF possible under the Law of the River?

Study: Potential Legal Issues under the Law of the River Associated with the Fill Mead First Proposal by Larry MacDonnell The Water Report, Issue 112: June 15, 2013

– “ The Fill Mead First Proposal is not precluded by any Federal or State statutes”

– “Adoption of a FMF policy would almost certainly depend on agreement among the states and with the U.S. Assuming such agreement could be reached, there would be little difficulty in making the necessary changes in the LROC”

-“In a sense, the Interim Guidelines help make the case for a FMF approach. Rather than the complexities of managing two reservoirs as if they are a single source of supply with multiple tiers triggering different releases, the FMF approach would emphasize managing storage in a single reservoir—Mead. Storage in Powell would serve primarily as insurance for unexpected events.”

– “The questions about its feasibility are not essentially legal but hydrologic and political.”