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<br />The owner or owners of any irrigation <br />ditch or canal shall carefully maintain the <br />embankments thereof so as to prevent waste <br />therefrom, and shall return the unused water <br />from such ditch or canal with as little waste <br />thereof as possible to the stream from which <br />such water was taken or to the Missouri <br />River.l2 <br /> <br />In the case of Osterman v. Central Neb. Public Power <br /> <br />v. Irr. Dist.13 the Nebraska Supreme Court interpreted these <br /> <br />statutes as effectively barring all transbasin diversions. A <br /> <br />subsequent court decision overruled Osterman14, and in 1981, the <br /> <br />Nebraska legislature passed new legislation permitting interbasin <br /> <br />transfers that pass a public interest review.15 <br /> <br />3. <br /> <br />Arizona. <br /> <br />Under Arizona law, out-of-watershed transfers <br /> <br />are severely restricted because irrigation districts, agricultur- <br /> <br />al improvement districts, or water users associations located <br /> <br />within and using water from the drainage are given a veto right <br /> <br />regarding all water transfers.16 The provision states: <br /> <br />No right to the use of water on or from <br />any watershed or drainage area which supplies <br />or contributes water for the irrigation of <br />lands within an irrigation district, agricul- <br />tural improvement district or water users <br />association shall be severed or transferred <br />without the consent of the governing body of <br /> <br />121895 tleb. Laws ch. 69, 1346-265 (1984). <br /> <br /> <br />13131 Neb. 356, 268 N.W. 334 (1936). <br /> <br />14Little Blue Natural Resource District v. Lower Platte <br />North Natural District, 206 Neb. 535, 294 N.W.2d 598 (1980). <br /> <br />15Neb. Laws 1981, LB 252, 86, Neb. Rev. Stat. 1346-289 <br />(1984). This statute is discussed infra in text accompanying <br />note 36. <br /> <br />l6Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. 945-172(5) <br /> <br />8 <br /> <br />, <br />