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<br />3 <br /> <br />-.:::'). <br /> <br />The following sections discuss the applicability of the study to <br /> <br />',.. 'j <br /> <br />the Colorado River Basin and sketch the history of development and <br /> <br />N <br /> <br />t,) legal institutions in the basin. <br />0) <br /> <br />',. 'f <br /> <br />1.2.1 Relevancy of Application to the Colorado River Basin <br /> <br />Few river basins exemplify the need for development of a system- <br /> <br />atic method of rational management of water resources better than the <br /> <br />Colorado River. The relatively low natural run-off, the high degree of <br /> <br />resource development, and the fact that the river traverses two <br /> <br />countries and seven states combine to generate a complex problem in <br /> <br />water management. Water rights to the river have been contested for <br /> <br />over 75 years. The net result has been the aggregation of a massive <br /> <br />and, in some areas inconclusive, body of legislation and court rulings <br /> <br />adjudicating a deteriorating and diminishing river flow. <br /> <br />Over the years many millions of dollars have been spent develop- <br /> <br />ing the water resources of the basin. The high salinity of river water <br /> <br />at the Mexican border and the necessity of meeting federal water qual- <br /> <br />ity standards have resulted in large expenditures for salinity control <br /> <br />(U.s.c.; 1974). Unless a method of analysis is developed which enables <br /> <br />a clear choice to be made between alternative operating policies for <br /> <br />the river, there is some doubt that further monies will be spent in the <br /> <br />way most likely to produce a long lasting solution. <br /> <br />