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<br />'- 0907 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />through water conservation efforts. Often, there is insufficient <br />water available in a basin to satisfy presently decreed water <br /> <br />rights. Any water saved in such circumstances would already be <br />"appropriated" by other users. Paradoxically, the person practicing <br />conservation often has no right to make additional use of saved <br />water. The appropriator practicing water conservation only has <br /> <br />a right to divert a specific quantity of water for a specific <br />quantity of water for a specific use. For instance, the farmer <br />using flood irrigation on his lands, and converting to a sprinkler <br /> <br />system, usually has no legal right to use the water saved on <br /> <br />additional lands. Rather, he might simply reduce diversions, <br /> <br />say from a stream, and could eventually lose his right to. such <br /> <br />surplus water by forfeiture or abandonment due to non-use. He <br /> <br />must "use it or lose it." Therefore, the water saved may be no <br /> <br />incentive to practice water conservation, and often may be a dis- <br /> <br />incentive. However, other considerations may control, including <br /> <br />the potential for reducing labor, maintenance, energy and other <br /> <br />farming costs. <br /> <br />A water right is one of use, and the state is ultimately <br /> <br />responsible for protecting the "public interest." The state implicitly <br /> <br />determines what constitutes the public interest in defining beneficial <br />use and granting new appropriation applications. In practice <br />traditional methods of use are usually held to be reasonable. <br /> <br />However, beneficial use may be reevaluated and redefined by the <br /> <br />state in view of technological advances. This flexibility allows <br /> <br />the law to address changing needs over time. As necessary demands <br /> <br />I\-'f <br />-""/ <br />