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VI. SUMMARY ANALYSIS The development of specific figures for "Water for Energy" in the Upper Colorado River Basin is very complex and controversial. This results from the interrelationship of legal, administrative, and practical considerations as to the many aspects of water supply. A specific example is the basic threshold determination as to the water supply available for use in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Estimates of supply range upward from a conservative figure of 5.8 million acre- feet to about 6.5 million acre-feet annually. As explained previously in this report, the 5.8 million acre-foot figure has been utilized by the Secretary as a conservative hypothesis in several studies such as those supporting the Central Arizona Project. However, the Upper Colorado Basin States and the Upper Colorado.River Commission do not accept the 5.8 million acre-feet as accurate from either 'an engineering or legal point of view. It is emphasized that any figures used herein are not intended as an interpretation of the Colorado River Basin Compact but only as an assumption figure for study analysis. In addition, it should be recognized that the figures are based upon basic assumptions as to the operation of the reservoirs in the Basin and certain other engineering factors which mayor may not prove to be correct by future conditions and interpretations. With these qualifications in mind, the 5,800,000 acre-feet of water has been assumed for this analysis as a conservative average annual amount of water available for consumptive use in the Upper Basin States. The amount of water presently being consumptively used in the Upper Basin is approximately 3,700,000 acre-feet per year. Therefore, approximately 2,100,000 acre-feet of the assumed 5,800,000 acre-foot allocable figure is not being utilized at present. A summary of pending energy developments in the Upper Basin is shown on Table 17~ It must be recognized that the quality of these figures varies considerably from situations where plans and projects are actually under construction and water needs fairly well identified, to situations where the plans are in very sketchy and highly tentative forms or are merely projections for meeting general demands throughout the western United States. Based on these understandings, it is estimated that about 870,000 acre-feet of water will be needed annually for energy development in the Upper Colorado River Basin by year 2000. The distribution of the developments by type and location is as follows: 60