OCR Text |
Show Public Law 485 states that irrigation costs that will be beyond the capability of the Indian irrigators to repay shall be nonreimbursable, and irrigation costs that are within the capability of the lands to repay shall be deferred so long as the lands remain in Indian ownership. The project was authorized for construction by the Act of June 13, 1962, as outlined in House Document No. 424, 86th Congress. Under Section 7 of this authorizing act, appropriations are to be authorized to the Bureau of Indian Affairs; although the construction will be accomplished by the Bureau of Reclamation. The Navajo Dam and Reservoir, a storage unit of the Colorado River Storage Project, includes storage capacity for the irrigation project. The principal features needed to be constructed for this project include: the canal headworks and tunnel necessary to divert water from the Navajo Reservoir; a main canal 152 miles long; two pumping plants; a hydroelectric power plant with a generating capacity of approximately 15,000 kw. in the main canal to furnish energy for the pumping plants; a water distribution lateral system; and a drainage system. Advance Planning The field office was established in Farmington, New Mexico, in February 1963. A memorandum of understanding was executed between the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to better define the respective responsibilities of the two agencies in connection with the project. Work on preparation of specifications for the first construction contract, which involves the headworks and the two miles of tunnel, was initiated. The balance of the effort in water year 1963 was directed toward better definition of the lands which would be considered irrigable on a long-time basis, and preparation of data for reappraisal report on the project. The purpose of the reappraisal report is to crystallize a definite plan for construction of the project, define the irrigable acreage, and reappraise the estimates of cost of the project. This report is scheduled for completion in June 1964. c. San Juan-Chama Project The potential San Juan-Chama project is located in South-central Colorado and Northcentral New Mexico in the San Juan River, Rio Grande and Canadian River Basins. This project will divert waters from the headwaters of the San Juan River into the 61 |