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OOZ'D25 The U. S. Congress designated the Secretary of the Interior to operate Colorado River dams and reservoirs. In that role, the Secretary has become, in essence, the "water master" of the river, conducting day-to-day operations through the Bureau of Reclamation. Reclamation contracts with water users to allocate water within the wide discretion allowed the Secretary under federal law. Under this authority, the Bureau of Reclamation (UReclamation") prepares and implements annual operating plans and sets other criteria for operating facilities. Reclamation operates the River and delivers water in accordance with water use contracts developed pursuant to Section 5 of the Boulder Canyon Project Act. The underlying premise of this system is a utrickle down" theory that allows water not used by one contractor to be used by junior priority contractors. The Secretary also has authority to make rules and regulations governing the operation of federal dams and reservoirs. . For example, in 1974, the Secretary promulgated water conservation management procedures that are contained in the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R. 43-417). Also, the Secretary adopts both long-term and annual operating criteria. He recendy promulgated the Interim Surplus Criteria that were approved by a Record of Decision requiring review under the National Environmental Policy Act. When new rules or operations are considered, the Secretary must consult with the governors of the seven Colorado River Basin states and. other parties. Reclamation generally seeks input from water-users within each state to determine the quantities of water that they expect to use under existing laws and contracts. Reclamation also consults with the U. S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (lBWq, which has the responsibility for coordinating delivery of water to Mexico under the 1944 United States-Mexico Treaty. The communications received from the governors of the basin states, federal agencies, IBWC, the various water-using. entities, and the public are considered by Reclamation in making recommendations to the Secretary on proposed river management decisions. Any transfer to Mexico of United States water will need to comply with the Law of the River. For example, one possible solution to bring water to the Delta is to purchase water from a specific Lower Basin contractor. However, for such a transfer to occur, all contract holders and the three lower Basin states would need to waive their rights to use the purchased water. The 1963 Opinion and the 1964 Decree of the US Supreme Court in Arizona v. California also limits the discretion of the Secretary regarding deliveries of water. Specifically, Artiq,e II (A) of the Decree enjoins the Secretary from releasing water except for uses that satisfy particular purposes in the u.s. It exempts from these priorities any releases by the United States to Mexico unless "in satisfaction of its obligation to the United States of Mexico under the Treaty dated February 3, 1944.. .." Although some have read the decree as precluding the delivery of water to Mexico in excess of 1.5 million acre-feet per year, changes in delivery strategies beyond the Treaty have been agreed upon through agreements (Minutes) between the Mexico' and US Sections of the International Boundary Commission. Minute 242, for example, provided for the construction of the Ywna Desalting Plant and the bypass of Well ton-Mohawk return flows without charge against Mexico's 1.5 million acre-feet per year treaty delivery entidement. A similar mechanism is available to transfer water to the Delta if the two Nations agree. Due to the intricate legal framework used on the Colorado River, reaching a long-term management strategy for the Delta will be time-consuming and may take many years. In the interim, the Delta habitat may suffer. Therefore, this report attempts to identify mechanisms for bringing 10