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~r!"','~~,~ <J ,-,' __' ""'.. 31 priority:and the fact that return flows usually provide in excess of the 120 cfs, 'this latter provision has not, to date, created any administra- tive difficulty. 3.3 State Administration and Adjudication The State Engineer, .who is also Director of the Water Resources Division within the Department of Natural Resources, has general admini- strativeresponsibllity for public waters of the state. That office is responsiMe for protecting the State's interest in, and enforcing the provisions of, interstate compacts and for the administration and dis- tribution of the state's waters in accordance with the water laws as they are interpreted by Water Courts and the Supreme Court. The state is divid~d into 8 divisions for administrative purposes. Division 1 covers the South Platte Basin with headquarters in Greeley. Adjudication of water rights is accomplished by Hater Courts and by appellate procedures to the Supreme Court. Certain District Court judges ar$ appointed by the Supreme Court as water judges. They preside over the Water Courts assisted by referees and water clerks in, each water division. The State District Courts collectively, acting through the water judges, have exclusive jurisdiction of water matters within the divisions. ~ .i r , J Some federal laws relating to water could impact voliuntary basin- wide water resources management in the South Platte River Basin. Issues wi th respect to federal reserved rights and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (particularly as regards endangered waterfowl on the Platte River in Nebraska), ar~ examples. 3.4 Manag~nt Institutions i Water management institutions are largely publ ic water di stricts, municipaHties, and incorporated, private non-profit development or . ! . I (,; .' , j, i;, I H ., " " - ;, ,~ ,~ ~,i.'JrJ/. ~'" ~',:1~