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park or designation of a wilderness area or wild and scenic river. In some, if not most, national parks, water in the form of rivers, lakes, waterfalls or geysers is one of the main attractions to visitors. In addition to its scenic value, water is an essential element of the ecosystem. Water also occurs on the surface in ponds, springs, seeps, marshes, bogs, swamps, and other wet areas. It also occurs underground in varying degrees of connection with the surface waters. It is the habitat or an essential part of the habitat for all living things. Flow regimes determine the type of vegetation that grows adjacent to or near streams. Flowing water moves sediment in streams and determines the shape and location of stream channels. Streams and lakes recharge aquifers or, in some instances, draw all or part of their water supply from aquifers in alluvial materials. Flooding streams deposit nutrients in flood plains, supply adjacent wetlands, and recharge associated aquifers. In wilderness areas, water plays the same role as it does in national parks. Certainly, it is one of the "natural forces" referred to by the Wilderness Act. While wild and scenic rivers are typically corridors, water also plays many of the same roles that it does in national parks and wilderness areas. The amount of water in any of the natural areas discussed here varies throughout the year and from year to year. The natural variations include extremely wet and extremely dry cycles. Methodologies exist to determine flow requirements for fish habitat and channel maintenance. However, no methodology exists to quantify the hydrologic regime in a way that would describe the natural regime or regime existing at the time of the reservation. The system is simply too variable and complex. No known methodology can calculate what will happen in the future. Moreover, even if such a methodology existed, it would likely be both expensive and time consuming to apply. Any quantification based on annual or average amounts would eliminate the extremes, which are a part of the natural conditions that must be preserved. Numerical quantification also limits the reserved right to the amount specified. This, indeed, may be the objective of opponents of the reserved right. However, limitation of the right to annual amounts clearly is not fulfilling the statutory purpose of maintaining the area in an unimpaired or natural condition. Furthermore, assignment of numerical quantities would indicate that any excess over those amounts is available to be diverted away from the natural area. This also is inconsistent with the maintenance of the area in an unimpaired or natural state for future genera- tions. One reason for quantification of federal reserved rights is to remove the uncertainty surrounding such rights and to integrate them into the state systems for purposes of administration. The state systems contemplate amounts, usually in cubic feet per second, which can be delivered or distributed by the state's water-administration officials according to priority of appropriation. Of course, the only situation in which administration would be required is where there is a diversion inside one of the natural areas or outside of the area in a position to affect the flow in the natural area. In national parks or wilderness areas which include the entire watershed, as many do, there is simply no need for administration. Nature takes its course without human intervention. A SOLUTION The inability to arrive at a numerical quantification which adequately describes the natural hydrologic regime at the time of the reservation, and the need to describe the right for purposes of administration, suggest a simple approach. The reserved right created by the establishment of a national park or wilderness area is the natural flow (or lake or pond level) subject to valid rights having priorities senior to the reservation date. This quantification is consistent with federal law that a reserved right is to waters unappropriated at the time of the reservation. A right described in this fashion can be administered very simply. If an upstream appropriator has a priority date senior to the reserved right, then that appropriator may divert. If not, the appropriator may not divert. Of course, those opposing federal claims will no doubt argue that some water may be taken away from the park without impairment. Even if this was true, however, there is no known method of quantifying the amount that must remain to keep the park in an unimpaired state for future generations. A national park such as Yellowstone, Glacier, Rocky Mountain or Yosemite is an extremely complex natural system in which water plays many roles as just discussed. Opponents will make yet another argument that the "precise" amount necessary to fulfill the purpose of the reservation must be determined. The Colorado Supreme Court has stated that the court adjudicating a federal reserved right must determine the "precise" quantity of water necessary to fulfill the reservation purpose.' As previously discussed, it is not possible to determine numerically the amounts of water necessary to keep a natural area in its natural condition. The United States Supreme Court has not addressed the question of the degree of precision required to quantify a reserved right for 21