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<br />uncertainties concerning the compacts, the Mexican Water Treaty of <br /> <br />1944 further complicates any water supply study. There are some <br /> <br />basic disagreements among the various states of the Colorado River <br /> <br />Basin as to the obligation of each state for the release of water to <br /> <br />satisfy the Mexican Treaty. At some future time it appears likely <br /> <br />that these differences will be taken to the United States Supreme <br /> <br />Court for resolution. Based upon various studies, some predictions <br /> <br />have been made that there is no water available for the oil shale <br /> <br />industry. Such predictions are in error. <br /> <br />All water supply studies are made by estimating the con- <br /> <br />sumptive use requirements of existing absolute and conditional decrees <br /> <br />on the Colorado River and its tributaries. <br /> <br />It is difficult, if not <br /> <br />impossible, to determine the future status of conditional decrees. <br /> <br />It is a certainty that many such decrees will not develop into an <br /> <br />actual usage. The fact is that there is at least 800,000 acre-feet <br /> <br />of water available to Colorado on an annual basis which is not now <br /> <br />being used, although all of it is under conditional decrees. This <br /> <br />is true under the most restrictive interpretations of the available <br /> <br />allocations under the interstate compacts and Mexican water treaty. <br /> <br />A significant portion of this currently unused water is available for <br /> <br />use by the oil shale industry. <br /> <br />One of the obvious problems in determining the availability <br /> <br />of water is in determining where the water will be required. Less <br /> <br />-6- <br />