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<br />002029 <br /> <br />however, Mexico has not yet pressed for a formal legal interpretation of the surplus provision in the <br />treaty . <br /> <br />c. . Other US Demands on the River <br /> <br />At the same time that California is being asked to reduce its water uses, scientists, hunters <br />and other citizens with support of environmental groups are demanding that the Colorado River be <br />managed for ecological purposes. The Endangered Species Act has forced the consideration of <br />strategies in the US to protect the critical habitat of native fishes and other species through a Multi- <br />Species Conservation Plan (MSCP). Further, Defenders of Wildlife in 1999 filed suit against the <br />Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce seeking consultation between the agencies <br />in those Departments to determine whether changes in the operation of the River in the United <br />States would place endangered habitat in Mexico in jeopardy. This pending lawsuit has played an <br />important role in focusing the attention of the federal and state governments on solving the Delta <br />issues. <br /> <br />In addition to environmental demands, Indian tribes with rights to Colorado River water are <br />seeking to quantify, protect, and use their water rights. The water uses of the tribes are counted <br />against the apportionments of the state where the reservation is located. Some of the tribes, through <br />court decrees and settlements, have quantifit;d the water rights of their reservations, but others do <br />not have quantified water rights. . Only a few tribes are presently using substantial portions of their <br />water rights. lhis may change in the future as tribes gain the financial capacity to develop their <br />water for beneficial uses. Increasingly, the tribes and their trustee, the United States, are taking steps <br />to protect tribal water rights and achieve tribal self-sufficiency. Additional tribal water uses will add <br />to existing demands on the river. <br /> <br />14 <br />