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Show 20 THE AT ,T .-AMERICAN CANAL. Canal water in Mexico and the one immediately preceding it are as follows: The Sociedad de Riego y Terrenos de la Baja California, S. A., is authorized to carry through the canal ¦which it has built in Mexican territory, and through other canals that it may build, if convenient, \rater to an amount of 2S4 cubic meters per second from the waters taken from the Colorado River in territory of the United States by the California Development Co. and which -waters this company has ceded to the Sociedad de Riego y Terrenos de la Baja California. S. A. It is also authorized to carry to the lands of the United States the water with the exception of that mentioned in the following article. From the water mentioned in the foregoing article, enough shall be used to irrigate the lands susceptible of irrigation in Lower California with the water carried through the canal or canals, without in any case the amount of water used, exceeding one-half of the volume of "water passing through said canals. The concrete headgate of the Imperial Canal at Hanlon, which was constructed in 1906, has a sill at elevation 100.7 feet above mean sea level (United States Geological Survey datum). This was at that time believed to be low enough to accomplish diversion of the desired amount of water at any stage of the river. The large amount of sand which has annually been carried into the canal and the depression of the water surface in the river below the assumed minimum elevation have combined to make the diversion of an adequate quantity of water at the river's low stages impossible. This is true despite the fact that a few years ago, a 25-foot section of the headgate sill was lowered 5 feet. Imperial Irrigation District has, therefore, found it necessary to construct temporary weirs across the river of rock and brush. Such a weir was constructed in 1910 and annually since 1915. There is some water obtained for the irrigation of lands in the Imperial Irrigation District and in Mexico from Volcano Lake through the Cerro Prieto Canal. This is only a temporary expedient. The connection of the Cerro Prieto Canal with Volcano Lake was made in 1916. Water has thus been made obtainable from the Volcano Lake region while the river is high. As this water is drawn from an extensive ponded area it is comparatively clear and its use has materially reduced the difficulty with silt in the west-side canal system. The maximum amount of water obtained from this source has exceeded 800 second-feet. This source of supply will be available only so long as the river is allowed to send its flood waters against the Volcano Lake Levee. The time will come when th& river is put back upon a direct course to the gulf, and thereupon this source of supply will no longer be available. The area of the land brought under irrigation from the Imperial Canal system both in California and in Mexico, as already stated, has been growing rapidly. No cultivation is possible in this region without the artificial application of water to the soil; and as the only source of water has been the canal system of the Imperial Irrigation District, this development and general prosperity is to be ascribed to the sue- |
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Original book: [State of Arizona, complainant v. State of California, Palo Verde Irrigation District, Coachella Valley County Water District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, City of Los Angeles, California, City of San Diego, California, and County of San Diego, California, defendants, United States of America, State of Nevada, State of New Mexico, State of Utah, interveners] : California exhibits. |