16 U.S.C. § 410aaa-76 - U.S. Code - Unannotated Title 16. Conservation § 410aaa-76. Federal reserved water rights

(a)Reservation of sufficient water

Except as otherwise provided in section 204 of this Act, with respect to each wilderness area designated by this Act, Congress hereby reserves a quantity of water sufficient to fulfill the purposes of this Act. The priority date of such reserved water rights shall be October 31, 1994.

(b)Protection of rights reserved

The Secretary and all other officers of the United States shall take all steps necessary to protect the rights reserved by this section, including the filing by the Secretary of a claim for the quantification of such rights in any present or future appropriate stream adjudication in the courts of the State of California in which the United States is or may be joined in accordance with section 666 of Title 43.

(c)Relinquishment or reduction of rights

Nothing in this Act shall be construed as a relinquishment or reduction of any water rights reserved or appropriated by the United States in the State of California on or before October 31, 1994.

(d)Specific reservation

The Federal water rights reserved by this Act are specific to the wilderness area located in the State of California designated under this Act. Nothing in this Act related to the reserved Federal water rights shall be construed as establishing a precedent with regard to any future designations, nor shall it constitute an interpretation of any other Act or any designation made thereto.