16 U.S.C. § 460ccc-8 - U.S. Code - Unannotated Title 16. Conservation § 460ccc-8. Water

(a)Reservation of rights

Within the conservation area designated by this subchapter, there is hereby reserved a quantity of water sufficient to fulfill the purposes for which the conservation area is established.

(b)Priority date of reservation

The priority date of the water rights reserved in paragraph  1 (a) shall be November 16, 1990, except that as related to rights associated with lands added to the conservation area after November 16, 1990, the priority date shall be the date of enactment of the Act adding such lands to the conservation area.

(c)Protection of rights

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

(d)Effect on previously secured rights

The Federal water rights reserved by this subchapter shall be in addition to any water rights which may have been previously secured by the United States for purposes other than for the conservation area.

(e)Scope and construction of rights

The Federal water rights reserved by this subchapter are specific to the conservation area designated by this subchapter. Nothing in this subchapter 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.