OCR Text |
Show SUMMARY A total of 1,621,500 acres or 2 percent of the land area of the re- gion was irrigated in 1965 and 7,058,600 acres of potentially irrigable land (10 percent of area) are suitable for irrigation. The annual modi- fied outflow of water from the region for 1965 development conditions averaged 12,064,000 acre-feet. "Regionally Interpreted" OBERS objectives were used as a basis for the framework plan and appraised crop production needs consistent with livestock output projections by utilizing the region's resources and de- termined land acreage and water requirements for irrigation, as follows: 1965 I98O 2000 2020 Irrigated land (1,000 acres) 1,622 1,794 1,954 2,122 On-site water depletions (1,000 acre-feet) 2,128 2,653 2,982 3,294 To satisfy "RI" OBERS framework plan requirements for irrigation by 2020, 587,400 acres of new land will need to be developed-including 86,800 acres to replace irrigated land abandoned or converted to other uses. A total of 421,100 acres of short-supply irrigated land will be provided supplemental water. Alternate levels of irrigation development in the region are as follows: Irrigated acreage On-site depletions Level of development (1,000 acres) (1,000 acre-feet) OBERS, "As published" "Regionally Interpreted" OBERS State alternative (6.5 MAF) State alternative (8.16 MAF) State alternative (water available)____________ 1,622 2,579 2,128 4,089 T7 Estimated. Sufficient land and water for irrigation are available within the re- gion to meet all needs projected in the development levels. The latter alternative will require augmentation of water to meet Colorado River Com- pact requirements. For larger developments, land is available but sub- stantial augmentation would be required to satisfy demands within the re- gion as well as downstream. Installation cost for irrigation, including system improvement, drain- age, and irrigation's prorated share of storage and major distribution systems, will total $857 million by 2020 under the "RI" OBERS framework plan. 1965 2020 1965 2020 1,622 1,551 2,128 1/2,200 1,622 2,122 2,128 3,294 1,622 2,118 2,128 3,297 1,622 2,354 2,128 3,658 |