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<br /> <br />... <br /> <br />economic, environmental, social, <br />and legal and institutional <br />information was assembled for 46 <br />Reclamation and 15 Indian Affairs <br />study areas. Figures I and II <br />show the locations of those <br />areas. <br /> <br />, <br />~ <br /> <br />This information was analyzed <br />in an evaluation process utilizing <br />14 factors reflecting desirability <br />of project improvements within <br />4 alternative future scenarios: <br />status quo, envi ronmental-soci al- <br />acceptability, water short, and <br />ti ght economi c. The data were <br />used to rank the 61 study areas <br />according to factor scores within <br />each scenario and a summation of <br />scores for all scenarios. This <br />ranking identifies those study <br />areas which offer the most <br />promising opportunities for <br />conserving water and which <br />warrant further detailed studies <br />to identify and quantify the <br />many factors affecti ng the <br />implementation of measures to <br />conserve water. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The orderi ng is not a preci se <br />evaluation of the relative <br />merit of each study area as an <br />opportunity to conserve water, <br />since evaluation procedures used, <br />data collected, and structure of <br />the study were not sufficiently <br />precise. However, this evaluation <br />procedure - based on systematic, <br />iterative, judgmental analysis <br />techniques to synthesize a <br />great deal of information on <br />widely differing parameters - does <br />provide a general indication of <br />the study areas which appear to <br />be the most attractive and those <br />which appear to be the least <br />attractive. The study provides <br />a basic support for a water <br />conservation action program and <br /> <br />.. <br /> <br />input for the detailed site- <br />specific studies of irrigation <br />water use and management. <br /> <br />Findings <br /> <br />Table I displays, for each <br />Recl amat ion regi on and I ndi an <br />Affai rsarea, the study areas <br />selected as having potential <br />opportunities to conserve water <br />and some key data on each area. <br />The scores shown are the overall <br />total scores of the four <br />scenarios. The rankings shown are <br />not significantly different for <br />any of the four scenarios examined <br />separately. The study areas <br />appearing to have the most <br />attractive opportunities to <br />conserve water are designated by <br />an asterisk. The Team has not <br />made specific recommendations <br />o n w h i c h 0 f th 0 s e i nth e <br />so-designated groups should first <br />be selected for detailed study. <br />Final selections are best left <br />to the regional or area level <br />where the study results can be <br />considered along with factors such <br />as water users' support. Table II <br />presents the same information, <br />summarizing all 61 study areas in <br />consol i dated rank orderi ng. <br /> <br />The study i ndi cates that, were <br />all the suggested water <br />conservation measures put into <br />effect in all study areas, <br />diversions could be reduced by <br />about 3.1 million acre-feet per <br />year. On the study areas, 'J.7 <br />million acre-feet are presently <br />bei ng lost to any further <br />beneficial use and could <br />be cons i dered for new benefi ci a I <br />uses. Those water conservation <br />measures could include <br />installation of canal lining, <br />pipe, sprinklers, trickle or <br /> <br />iii <br />