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<br />00i13~J2 <br /> <br />The wate~ ~ights for these non-Indian reservations, <br />for the DOst part, have not been quantified. There are many <br />uncertainties related to this doctrine. For exaMple, may <br />the nature and place of reserved water use on the reservation <br />be changed and, if so, are there any limitations applicable? <br />Another concern is what reserved rights, if any, attach to <br /> <br />--lands acquired froM private sources that are within <br />the confines of national parks and forests or <br /> <br />--the naval oil shale reserves for purposes of oil shale <br />development? <br /> <br />State officials in both the Upper and Lower Basins <br />have stated that water requirements for non-Indian Federal <br />reservations will not be significant. One official believed <br />that the Federal claims will be significant, but not upheld. <br /> <br />CRITERIA ARE NEEDED <br />FOR OPERATING STORAGE <br />RESERVOIRS DURING SHORTAGES <br /> <br />with water shortages a certainty in the future, proce- <br />dures Must be decided upon to minimize the impact. Although <br />reservoi~s can provide a source of water during shortages, <br />procedures for operating the nine reservoirs in the basin <br />are incomplete. First, the conditions that must exist to <br />declare a water shortage have not been clearly identified. <br />In addition, the amount of water that should remain in the <br />Upper Basin reservoirs for use in shortages has not been <br />determined, nor has an agreement been made on how Duch water <br />to release to the Lower Basin and Mexico if a shortage occurs. <br />This lack of procedures creates uncertainty as to how the <br />reservoirs will be operated during a water shortage, and thus <br />how much water will be available for use during a shortage. <br />Bureau officials said that these deficiencies have not been <br />corrected because the seven basin States cannot agree on how <br />to handle them and do not believe that agreement needs to be <br />reached at this time. <br /> <br />The Secretary of the Interior in 1970 promulgated <br />"Criteria for Coordinated Long-Range Operation of Colorado <br />River Reservoirs." The criteria are to be used to determine <br />the amount of water to be (I) released from Lake Powell and <br />Lake Mead to the Lower Basin and Mexico and (2) stored in <br />the Upper Basin reservoirs to protect the Upper Basin's use <br />.requirements. <br /> <br />However, in establishing the operating criteria, the <br />Secretary did not formally quantify the amount of Upper Basin <br />storage that should be maintained for future periods. This <br /> <br />17 <br />