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<br />..f <br /> <br />, <br />, <br /> <br />2326 <br /> <br />reserved water rights but also because of its commitment to establish <br /> <br />a well-balanced and comprehensive water rasou=es development policy. The <br /> <br />Federal Government's navigation and flood control works constitute the lar- <br /> <br />gest category of Federal water control structures which affect the uses of <br /> <br />water in the Nation's mainstreams and their tributaries. These activities, <br /> <br />in conjunction with the. operation of major irrigation works of the United <br /> <br />States and the millions of acres of Federal lands in the western States, <br /> <br />are 1IIOre than ample justification for Governmental concern. At the same <br /> <br />t:1me. the United States has promoted and encouraged, through its executive <br /> <br />agencies, water resource development and use by State and local gOvernments <br /> <br />as well as the private sector. Accordingly. it is in the Nation's best <br /> <br />interest to examine the Federal reserved water rights doctrines ~~d respec- <br /> <br />t1ve States' appropriation doctrines with a view toward proposing viable <br /> <br />mechanisms to insure acceptable and effective water resource development <br /> <br />and use. <br /> <br />The following issues and .options are presented to the public for review <br /> <br />and comment as possible courses of action open to the Federal Government <br /> <br />and the States to assist. in developing a policy that wilL reduce the <br /> <br />. . <br />difficulties which the lack of water quantification procedures or systems <br /> <br />has created. <br /> <br />Options Under Consideration <br /> <br />The 1IIOst extreme options open are for Federal aliondmmtent. of all Federal <br />, <br /> <br />reserved water r:igh~s on the one hand or for a Federal claim to the use <br /> <br />of all water associated with Federal lands on the other. These extreme <br /> <br />measures would resolve the problem but they are not under consideration <br /> <br />because they are not considered to be. consistent with the Nation's interest <br /> <br />or Bound in terms of long-range water resource planning. Several other <br /> <br />3 <br />