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<br />0033)~ <br /> <br />feet per acre. Other experts in this case hava used return f10Wll of a simi- <br />lar magnitude in arriving at a conaumpUve uae figure of 4.0 acre-feet per <br />acre. Tr. 1084; F.M. EIh. 1. The past decreed righta cover approlimately <br />1939 net acres. See Dote 52 supra. The present cIaime would add approx- <br />imately 749 groos acres to that total. See F.M. E:rh. 2, Table 8; U. S. E:rh. <br />42, Table 7. EveD if the current claims are not reduced to a nat amount <br />and 2688 acrea receive a divenion of 6.46 acre-feet of water per acre, the <br />conaumptive use of approlimately 11,290 acre-feet is stillleBB than tbe <br />12,500 acre-feet Nevada boa 08t aside in ita planning process for the <br />Tribe's consumptive use. <br /> <br />termined on the merits rather than held foreclosed by <br />the State Parties' plea of preclusion. A number of con- <br />siderations guide my decision. <br />As the United States notes, this case has from the <br />beginning involved a number of complex issues and <br />difficult matters of proof. No oneilhould be surprised <br />that some mistakes occurred earlier. In fact, an ab- <br />sence of mistake would have been reason for surprise. <br />For just such a reason water rights decrees often in- <br />clude a retention of jurisdiction which may be used to <br />adjust the water rights decreed in the event pn error is <br />discovered. 6 Waters and Water Rights S 531.7, at 522 <br />(R. Clark ed. 1972). See City of Los Angeles v. City of <br />Glendale, 23 Cal.2d 68, 142 P.2d 289, 297 (1943). See <br />also Taylor v. Tempe Irrigating Canal Co:, 21 Ariz. <br />574, 193 P. 12, 14-15 (1920); Benson 11. Burgess, 192 <br />Colo. 556, 561 P.2d 11, 13-14 (1977). Article IX, consis- <br />tent with similar provisions in other cases of this na- <br />ture, reserved jurisdiction in the Supreme Court in or- <br />der to consider any mistakes which the Court might <br />wish to correct. Certainly the parties seemed to per- <br />ceive it as such a provision." Although the 1964 De- <br />cree may have given a relatively stable allocation of <br />water rights, unyielding reliance upon it was inappro- <br />priate, because it was modifiable for good reason. <br />The omitted lands claim presents just such a mat- <br />ter. One of the few aspects of this case that has drawn <br />agreement among the parties is the ezistence of irri- <br />gable lands which were "omitted" from the elaim for <br />water rights in the earlier proceedings. The State Par- <br />ties admit that the large m~ority of omitted lands for <br />which water rights are claimed by the United States <br />are practicably irrigable. The policies underlying pre- <br /> <br />Absent additional facts or a more coherent explanation <br />of the present evidence, I cannot find that Nevada has <br />demonstrated that her reliance on the 1964 Decree <br />would be undercut by the granting of the present <br />claims. <br />Much of the discussion regarding reliance is super- <br />fluous. Not a great deal of evidence is really needed to <br />convince anyone that western states would rely upon <br />water adjudications. Some parties have presented in <br />this case more specific and convincing proof of detri- <br />mental reliance than 'have others. Nevertheless, it <br />would be unrealistic to conclude that those parties <br />would not have used the 1964 Decree as a basis of fu- <br />ture plans. Under some circumstances e.very party <br />might suffer a detriment because of reliance on that <br />Decree even though I find it difficult to determine <br />from the testimony exactly what significant, different <br />action the State Parties would actually have taken if <br />the Indian Reservations had received in 1964 the water <br />rights no~ requested. This litigation is, thus, impor- <br />tant to all such parties, aside from the simple posaibil- <br />ity that they might lose an expectancy from the 1964 <br />Decree. This reliance, however, might not be sufficient <br />to foreclose the present claims. <br />With a full sense of the seriousness of the matter I <br />conclude that the omitted land question should be de- <br /> <br />66. See note 5 supra. . <br /> <br />46 <br /> <br />47 <br />