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<br /> <br />available water supplies. <br />Salvaging water for new beneficial <br />uses is encompassed in reaching <br />this goal. This study identifies <br />two categories of water which <br />were used as indicators in <br />evaluating the need for water <br />conservati on programs. The fi rst <br />is an estimate of the amount of <br />water currently being lost to any <br />beneficial use on existing <br />projects. On the 61 projects <br />s tu died, th i s amou n ted to 0.7 <br />million acre-feet. The second is <br />an estimate of the amount of <br />reduction in diversions that could <br />be achi eved on specifi c projects <br />while still meeting project <br />water requirements. This latter <br />figure is relatively large, <br />totaling 3.1 million acre-feet on <br />the projects analyzed, of which <br />about 80 percent woul d be deri ved <br />by interrupting return flows that <br />are currently being used for <br />other purposes. However, for the <br />purpose of this study, which is <br />to identify study areas that <br />warrant more detailed study, <br />the potential reduction in <br />diversions is considered to <br />provide a major indicator of where <br />there is potenti al for better <br />uti 1 izati on of water. <br /> <br />The true measure of water actually <br />conserved for new beneficial <br />uses in a given system may be <br />1 imi ted only to the amount <br />identified as "water lost to <br />further use" plus any reduction <br />in evapotranspiration losses <br />associated with noncrop <br />vegetation. More efficient <br />management of irrigation <br />diversions or seepage control on a <br />specific project area coul d <br />concei vably cause injury to <br />other users within the total <br />stream system. <br /> <br />Economic costs and benefits have <br />not been fully evaluated. Full <br />evaluation is complicated by the <br />uncertai nt i es of impacts on <br />existing water uses and by legal <br />and institutional constrai nts. <br />Indications are, however, that <br />cost may greatly exceed IOOnetary <br />benefits in most cases. <br /> <br />.. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Further detai led studi es on <br />individual projects must carefully <br />address the potential alterati ons <br />of flow quantities and patterns of <br />occurrences for overall stream <br />systems in evaluating the absolute <br />extent to which proposed measures <br />coul d be expected to conserve <br />water for additional new or <br />supplemental use. <br /> <br />The s tudi es reported herei n have <br />been limited to the extent that <br />full evaluations were not made <br />on effects on lands and other <br />resources outsi de the i ndi vi dual <br />i rri gati on servi ce area studied. <br />The legal and institutional <br />constraints that may come into <br />play were not examined in great <br />depth. In addition, within the <br />time frame permitted, it was not <br />possible to solicit local public <br />input for the study areas. Those <br />types of information need to <br />be evaluated as potential <br />implementation is given detailed <br />study . <br /> <br />Procedures <br /> <br />Wi th ass i stance from personnel in <br />Reclamation's seven regional <br />offi ces and four a rea offi ces of <br />Indian Affairs, those projects <br />appearing to have opportunities <br />for conservi ng water were <br />identified in a first-round <br />effort. Following this <br />identification, engi neeri ng, <br /> <br />... <br /> <br />ii <br />