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. . . 0'02250 encroachments would be inconsistent with "The Law of the River" and significantly reduce the water supply storage capability of the river, which the Congress found to be unacceptable in the Colorado River Floodway Protection Act. The principal purposes of the Act were to restore the lower Colorado River Floodway to protect and improve the water storage capability of the existing Colorado River reservoir system and to provide for the protection of human lives, property, and natural resources. According to Senate Report 99-410 which accompanied the Colorado River Floodway Protection Act, the federal government during 1983 paid $3 million in flood insurance claims and $4.9 million in other forms of disaster relief for flood related damages in the flood plain. Damages were many times in excess of the level of compensation paid and, in some cases, individuals and businesses were not eligible for assistance. The Act itself seeks to accomplish its purposes by withdrawing federal assistance for future Floodway development. While there are certain inherent and foreseeable risks associated with riverine environments, there were some limited cases of extraordinary hardships suffered during the 1983 high Colorado River flows that were outside the Floodway and were not reasonably foreseeable for which little or no compensation or assistance was provided. The recommendations herein are to address those limited cases. RECOMMENDATIONS ' It is the recommendation of the Colorado River Floodway Task Force that compensation should be recommended in specific cases of economic hardship resulting from impacts of the 1983 high Colorado River flows on property outside the Floodway which could not reasonably have been foreseen. This is provided that such cases meet at least certain minimum criteria recommended by the Task Force relative to both "economic hardship" and impac ts "not reasonably for eseen." Any compensation which may eventually be provided in such cases shall in no means establish any basis for liability for damages incurred as the result of the 1983 high Colorado River flows, nor shall it have any precedent value with respect to future river flows in the Colorado River Basin or elsewhere. It is being recommended solely to provide financial assistance to persons outside of the Floodway who suffered economic hardships resulting from impacts which could not reasonably have been foreseen. Should the Secretary of the Interior and the Congress decide that compensation should be provided in such cases, it . VII-3 ..