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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />0006 <br /> <br />-1- <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />The following is an investigative study undertaken at <br />the request of the Western Governors' Policy Office dealing <br />with the subject of Indian water rights in the Western <br />United States. It has been compiled by the staff of the <br />Western States Water Council and does not necessarily repre- <br />sent the individual views of Council members or the collective <br />view of the Council as a whole. <br /> <br />The study does not purport to be an exhaustive report <br />on the general topic of Indian water rights. Its specific <br />focus is the potential quantity of such rights and the issues <br />related immediately thereto. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The aim of the study is description as opposed to <br />persuasion or advocacy. Because of the generally uncertain <br />nature of the subject matter, few definitive conclusions are <br />reached. Nothing in the study should be taken as a statement <br />of what any tribe's water rights "ought" to be, nor as an <br />endorsement of any formula for quantification or method of <br />settling Indian water right claims. <br /> <br />The study begins with a look at the availability of <br />water in the West and the legal system used to create and <br />administer rights to that water. It then discusses Indian <br />water right issues, focusing specifically on the potential <br />