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3.2.1 Annual Review of the System Operating Strategy 



As shown in Rgure 4, the traditional date used as the beginning of a new operating year 

 is August 1. [The rationale for this is driven more by power generation than other uses 

 of the river, although it is not dear that any of the other uses would be materially 

 benefited by a change in the beginning of the annual planning cycle.] 



After August 1, the agencies would begin an analysis of the prior year's operations, 

 make an appraisal of the existing year's situation, and estimate the water conditions for 

 the following year. This information would then be disseminated to all stakeholder 

 groups (groups representing various uses of the river) in the region. It should be noted 

 that if this planning cycle were to begin on August 1, 1994, for example, the planning would be 

 for the water year beginning August 1, 1995, not the year beginning August 1, 1994. The 

 planning process takes a full year. Major decisions, such as revisions to the SOS, would be 

 made by February 1, allowing time for the operators to develop detailed operational 

 plans. 



Once the analysis has been disseminated to the Region, the groups representing the 

 various uses of the river would be invited to submit proposals for the operations that 

 would benefit their use. 



In the existing decisionmaking process, similar proposals are received. However, the 

 process by which these proposals are generated is informal, and there is no dearly 

 defined procedure for gathering all the proposals and subjecting them to a 

 simultaneous review. As a result, there is no moment in time where everyone in the 

 region knows what has been proposed and has an opportunity to assess the proposals 

 side by side. This means there is little visibility to the process. It also means that there 



Final Draft - September 15, 1993 43 



