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.. guaranteed by the REA. Unlike the Narrows Reservoir project, the Grayrocks Reservoir is not subject to the Principles and Standards of other Federal water resources planning requirements. As a consequence, the impact of this reservoir on a wildlife habitat and flows in the North Platte and main stem of the Platte River are not really considered in the context of the entire water resources of the Platte River Basin. Shortcomings in State water law will also continue to insure inadequate consideration of low flows in many States. There have also been recent setbacks in Federal legal decisions. For example, a recent Supreme Court decision concerning the Rio Membres essentially indicates that streamflows cannot be pt'eserved for any other purpose on U.S. Forest Service land beyond the original purposes for which the land was set aside -- in this case, growing trees. The point here is that within the near f~ture these many factors -- that is, continued ~rowth, poor planning, inadequate State and Federal law -- will produce continued pressure on the preservation of adequate minimum s treamfl ows. .. Probably to most of you here in this room it is obvious that the preser- vation of minimum streamflows depends on a lot of things. The first is an adequate systen fo}' quantifying the necessary flows. In addition, there ~lso has to be an adequate planning system and an adequate decisionmaking ~;ystem to insUl~e consideration of the required minimum flows. Tile f"irst and most basic step in insuring preservation of minimum .;treamflows is undoubtedly to put together a procedure which can be used to quant.ify the relationship betw.een flow characteristics and the habitat for 1 number of species as well as recreational use. This procedure must not )ave exceedingly complex computational requirements nor must it demand . 7