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<br />nCl1"6 <br />UU.li..lJ:'j: <br /> <br />There may be other stresses on the usable supply of <br /> <br />River water independent of future meteorological conditions. <br /> <br />Salinity controls may at some point effect a reduction in the <br /> <br />amount of available water. <br /> <br />Saline water emitted by natural <br /> <br />springs might be impounded.54 The Colorado Basin occupies <br /> <br />the bed of a vanished ocean and is underlain by highly saline <br /> <br />shale formations. <br /> <br />Irrigation water percolating through the <br /> <br />ground tends to leach those salts into the River. Moreover, <br /> <br />evaporation from reservoirs serves to concentrate the salt in <br /> <br />the remaining water.SS Limitations on irrigation and storage <br /> <br />might conceivably be imposed to lower salt levels. Further- <br /> <br />more, the Mexican Treaty deprives the Basin states of water <br /> <br />in excess of its stated minimum delivery requirement because <br /> <br />of evaporation and channel losses which the United states <br /> <br />must sustain. <br /> <br />". .. the actual burden on the American water <br /> <br />supply occasioned by this guarantee is about 1.8 million."56 <br /> <br />B. Restrictions On The Upper Basin <br /> <br />If the Compact is interpreted to require that the Upper <br /> <br />Basin release 7.5 m. a. f. at Lee's Ferry pursuant to Article <br /> <br />rII(d), as well as another 750,000 acre-feet pursuant to <br />Article III(c) to satisfy the Mexican Treaty, the Interior <br /> <br />Department has calculated that only 5.8 m.a.f. of the Upper <br /> <br />Basin's 7.5 m.a.f. Article IrI(a) apportionment would then be <br /> <br />available for Upper Basin use.57 <br /> <br />(This number will be <br /> <br />regarded as ridiculously high when the 16th century dry cycle <br /> <br />is repeated.) An engineering study undertaken by Tipton and <br /> <br />-21- <br />