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<br />, <br /> <br />4246 <br /> <br />A. INTRODUCTION - THE IMPORTANCE OF INDIAN WATER RIGHTS <br />FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION DURING THE 1980's. <br /> <br />Federal reserved rights, including Indian water rights, <br /> <br />will be largely quantified during the 1980's. From the Upper <br /> <br />Santa Cruz Basin in southern Arizona to the Upper Missouri River <br />Basin in Montana, Indians are asserting reserved rights claims <br /> <br />to ground and surface waters in 45 different circumstances. <br /> <br />During the next ten years, Indian water rights will <br /> <br />either be litigated in the state and federal courts of the west <br />or settled through congressionally approved compacts. Once <br /> <br />quantified, the reserved rights entitlements of the Indians will <br /> <br />be regulated by the tribes and will be incorporated into state <br /> <br />decreed wate~ rights. In most cases, these large blocks of water <br />will not be consumed by tribal agricultrual, industrial and <br /> <br />municipal users. Hence, Indian water will be available to meet <br /> <br />the growing Rocky Mountain energy and municipal water needs. <br /> <br />The states (and state water users) have two alternatives <br /> <br />for dealing with Indian reserved rights: The states can either <br /> <br />litigate the complex jurisdictional and quantitative issues <br /> <br />involved in Indian water rights at every turn, or the states can <br /> <br />seek to reach an early accommodation with the Indians. Agreement <br /> <br />with the Indians will allow the states and the Indians to work <br /> <br />together (i) to seek federal financial assistance to build badly <br />