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<br /> <br />Introduction <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />Water conservation is receiving <br />increasing attention as a solution <br />to problems of inadequate water <br />supply in lieu of more traditional <br />methods of meeting growing water <br />requi rements th rough cons tructi on <br />of water supply facil i ti es, such <br />as dams, conveyance facilities, <br />wells, etc. Water conservation <br />has wide appeal because of <br />increasing costs and political, <br />environmental, and social problems <br />associated with developing new <br />water supplies in the traditional <br />manner. Furthermore, in some <br />instances there is no additional <br />water supply available for <br />development. <br /> <br />The severity of the drought which <br />began in many parts of the United <br />States in 1975 served to sharply <br />focus attention on agricultural <br />use of water, since about 90 <br />percent of the water consumed in <br />the West is for crop producti on. <br />By the summer of 1977, large areas <br />of the 17 Western United States <br />were being affected, particularly <br />with respect to irrigation <br />supplies that are so essential to <br />the production of a significant <br />portion of the country's food <br />supply. <br /> <br />The severity of the drought led <br />the Congress to enact Public Law <br />95-18, Emergency Drought Act of <br />1977. This Act authorized the use <br />of Federal funds to augment, <br />utilize, and conserve water <br />supplies for irrigation operations <br />on projects constructed or funded <br />under Reclamation law, Indian <br />i rri gati on projects under the <br />authority of the Secretary of the <br />Interior, and irrigation projects <br /> <br />fi nanced with non-Federal funds. <br />The Emergency Drought Act directed <br />the Secretary of the I nteri or to <br />undertake expedited evaluations <br />and reconnaissance studies for <br />potential facilities to mitigate <br />the effects of a drought <br />recurrence and identify <br />opportunities to augment, utilize, <br />or conserve water supplies <br />available to Reclamation and <br />Indian irrigation projects. <br /> <br />In addition, two reports stressing <br />the importance and need for better <br />water conservation measures in <br />i rri gat i on sys terns were submitted <br />to Congress by the Comptroller <br />General of the United States. <br />The first report, dated June 22, <br />1976, is titled, "Better Federal <br />Coordination Needed to Promote <br />More Efficient Farm Irrigation." <br />The second, dated September 2, <br />1977, is t itl ed, "More and Better <br />Uses Could Be Made of Billions of <br />Gallons of Water by Improvi ng <br />Irrigation Delivery Systems." <br /> <br />Water conservation has wide <br />application, and many water use <br />practices can be made more <br />efficient. President Carter's <br />recently enunciated water policy <br />has the conservati on of water as <br />one of its cornerstones. The <br />conservation and reuse of water <br />before it is returnea to the <br />stream may reduce expenditures <br />requi red for new wi thdrawal <br />systems and may more effectively <br />control the total amount of <br />pollutants returning to the <br />streams. This theme was <br />emphasized by the National Water <br />Commission (1973) and the Western <br />U.S. Water Study (1975). However, <br />