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<br />,,' <br /> <br />8 <br /> <br />CO '. <br />..... ....'. <br /> <br />Winters Doctrine rights, are to be satisfied out of such states' allo- <br />cation. <br />The Indian tribes toOk the opposite position. They asserted before <br />the Committee that any prohibitions in the Law of the River on <br />interstate marketing of water are not applicable to Indian water <br />rights. However, the ,amendment in the, nature of a substitute <br />adopted by the Committee, which was supported by the Southern <br />Ute and Ute Mountain tribes, dropped the section 5 language specif- <br />ically authorizing the tribes to market their water. <br />In the substitute, section 5 now provides that the prohibition on <br />the conveyance or lease of tribal lands or interests in lands con- <br />tained in the Indian Intercourse Act (25U.S.C. 117) shall not be ap- <br />plicable to water rights confirmed in the Agreement. However, the <br />section makes clear that this waiver shall not be construed in any <br />way'as affecting the Law of the River. <br />Secondly, the substitute includes, in section 11, rules of construc- <br />tion which provide that any inconsistency between, the Agreement <br />and the Act are to be resolved by the telWs of the Act. More impor- <br />tantly, it provides that nothing in the Agreement or in the Act is' <br />to constitute authority for the tribes tQmarket water off-reserva- <br />tion out of the State of Colorado nor to be deemed a congressional <br />determination that the tribes have or do not have a right to market <br />water off-reservation. ' <br />The provisions of section 5 and 11 of the substitute were intended <br />to establish the neutrality of the Agreement and the Act on the <br />question of whether or not the two tribes have a right under exist- <br />ing law, including the Law of the River, ,to market water off-reser- <br />vation and in interstate commerce. The Lower Basin states did not <br />find this neutrality language acceptable. <br />An amendment was offered in the Committee to specifically pro- <br />hibit the tribes from marketing their water in interstate com- <br />merce, notwithstanding the provisions of existing law. The amend- <br />ment was rejected on a tie vote of 18-18. <br />In general, the water rights of Indian tribes are secured under <br />the so-called Winters Doctrine, first articulated by the United <br />States Supreme Court in the case of Winters v. United States, 207 <br />U.S. 564 (1908). This doctrine holds that, in the various treaties, <br />statutes, and executive orders recognizing or creating reservations <br />for Indian tribes, there were reserved by the tribes, directly or by <br />implication, such water for present or future use as may be neces- <br />sary to fulfill the purposes of the reservation. ' <br />The contours of the Winters Doctrine have been more fully de- <br />fined, over the years since 1908 by subsequent Federal court deci- <br />sions. The courts have held that the right arises as of the date of <br />the establishment of the reservation and, therefore, is prior and <br />paramount to all other uses arising thereafter. Other elements of <br />the doctrine, including water quantification, management, uses, <br />etc., have also been addressed and, to some extent, clarified by the <br />court. <br />However, there is no Federal or State court decision which <br />touches upon the question of whether or not Indian tribes holding <br />Winters Doctrine water rights have or do not, have a right to <br />market such water off-reservation in intra-state of inter-state com- <br />merce. <br /> <br />I'. ,". <br />.~," e" <br /> <br /> <br />, <br />" <br />