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c..i to the river below Ca~doa, such benefits neoessarily diminish with increased distances downstream from the Caddoa project. , ,.~ .".~ .... ~1 5. Water conservGtion invclves previously unused or unappropriated streamflows, and creates benefits by impounding; flood waters and winter flows which, except for storage in Caddoa Reservoir, muld be undivertible, unus. able and wasted, and by releasing such impounded 'Ml.ters for additional diver- sion and increased use. As distinguished from flood-control benefits, which will accrue only downstream and more.largely to Kansas, and as distinguished from regulation benefits, which also will accrue only downstream but more largely to Colorado, the benefits of ......ter conservation are subject vii thin lilni ts to arbitrary allocation between the two States, and in Colorado, again within limits, between _tel' users above and below Caddoa. 6. At times in the past when inflows to too river via tributaries, such as the Purgatoire River, were sufficient to satisfy then effective pri~ ority rights in Water District 67, they could not be exerCised to claim an- other or second supply away from junior priorities of ditches in upstream districts. Instead, under such conditions, the upstream ditches were au- thorized, in aooordance with their respective unsatisfied priority rights, to divert all the streamf'lows available to them, allowing none to pass dovll- stream to Water District 67. This long-establishej system of water-right administration, under the Constitution and laws ot' Colorado, has not been altered by the construction of the Caddoa project. It will continue to pre- vail at all times when the priority rights of ditches in Water District 67 are similarly satisfied by supplies of water impounded in Caddoa Reservoir. In that way some of the conservation benefits of Caddoa Reservoir will be reflected, as intended by the desi 1'1' and authori.ation of the project, into areas upstream therefrom, and be apportioned in accordance with rights es. tablished under State laws among the upstream appropriators. 7. Manifestly, at times when the irrigation pool is empty, no conser- vation benefits Can be reflected into upstream areas. At such times the priority rights of ditches in Water District 67 will be asserted in the fu- ture against upstream junior priorities the same as in too past, and as though the Caddoa project had not been constructed. 6. The fant that water may be impounded in the irrigation pool does net mean that increased diversions upstream from Caddoa will be lDll.de at all times or continuously until the re servo.i.r is empty. There will be times when additional upstream diversions can be made, and other times when they cannot. For example, during periods of low streamflow conditions, such as commonly prevail in late sumner months, and in fact at all times except when str~amflows are aU@llented by rapidly melting snow or substantial rainfall and runoff, only the most senior priority ri ghts along t he river can be satisfied. Of dates 1864 and senior thereto, the priority rights in Water District 67 total 29.25 second-feet, while those in upstream districts to Canon City aggregate more than 1,000 second-feet. Commonly, the said early priorities in Water District 67 are supplied by local return flow. Hence, when the usable supplies along the main river have been less than 1,000 second-feet, no strea.rnflows have been required or "" lowed to pass dov/l'lstrearn to Water District 67. Since the upstream ditches with senior priorities have diverted all the strearnflows under such conditions in the past, no (3 )