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<br />,; .N~5n <br />""'_) /i.JC~'~ <.p 4<Tr- - <br /> <br />r&gsiDrl~e~, including even declines of river flow by as much as 60r. of <br />'-' <br />91 <br />present average flows, significant changes in the law seem remote now. <br /> <br />Whether or not Congress or the Court will engage in a major revision of the <br /> <br />law of the river, they may be called upon in the near future to deal with <br /> <br />interpretive problems. <br /> <br />92 <br />Several issues arising in the Colorado River Basin <br /> <br />may be the forerunners of attempts to reform the 1922 compact on the ground of <br /> <br />.....tual mistake. <br /> <br />The most likely change in the law of the river is a determination of <br /> <br />Indian water rights. Congress could call for widespread quantifications of <br /> <br />tribal water rights, but it is more probable that there will be a combination <br /> <br />of judicial, congressional and negotiated determinations. This will leave <br /> <br />some uncertainties. The prospects of Congress or the Supreme Court extin- <br /> <br />guishing reserved rights on a massive scale exists but are slim given politi- <br /> <br />cal reality and recent judicial reaffirmations. <br /> <br />(sh2) <br /> <br />Importation Of New Supolies <br /> <br />One means of quelling the battles over Colorado River water would be to <br /> <br />augment the river's flow with water from other sources, a possibility dis- <br /> <br />cussed sporadically for most of the century. Politics has ruled out considera- <br />93 <br />tion of tapping the Columbia River Basin for much of the recent past. The <br /> <br />future may see new thinking about that and other possible sources of supply as <br /> <br />tbe "rights" built on Colorado River water outstrip available supply. But a <br /> <br />project of the magnitude needed to sustain the levels of use anticipated for <br /> <br />the river without changes in how water is allocated and managed may take 3U-4Q <br /> <br />years to plan and build. Both economic feasibility and timing would dim the <br /> <br />prospects of relying on imports to solve basin shortages. <br /> <br />- 2& - <br />