AZ vs. CA:24 California Exhibits, Vol. XXIV; Miscellaneous

page 6

6 PKOBLEMS OF IMPERIAL VALLEY AND VICINITY. Since 1915 there has been considerable improvement in the application of water in the Imperial Valley,but recent experience shows that storage is needed to supplement the low-water now before any-large irrigable areas can be added. Since 1915 Imperial Valley has increased its irrigated area over 60,000 acres in the United States and about. 150,000 acres in Mexico. The Imperial irrigation district contains more than 100,000 acres of irrigable land not yet irrigated and the same valley in Mexico can increase over 40,000 acres, and is in a physical position to take the necessary water from the Imperial Canal before it reaches the California line. The Yuma project is increasing its irrigated area and has a recognized right to extend up to a limit of 120,000 acres. The Palo Verde Valley has increased its irrigated area since 1915 by about 15,000 acres and is in physical position to increase this area up to 78,000 acres. Two Government projects in Colorado taking water from the Colorado River drainage have increased their acreage since 1915 about 30,000 acres and have • established rights by which these can be further increased by over 50,000 acres. In addition to the above, irrigation uses are increasing in the Uinta and Spanish Fork basins in Utah and at numerous other points in the upper Colorado Basin, most of which are small in amount, but which aggregate a considerable acreage and will reduce the water supply of the lower basin to a substantial degree. These may be taken as offsetting the improvements in duty of water in the Imperial Valley. Assembling the more important of the known data, we have the following table showing increase over 1915: Table No. 7.-Increases in irrigated area. Project. Imperial district...... Mexico............... Yuma......,......... Palo Verde........... -Grand Valley project. Uncompahgre project. Total. Acres irrigated. 1915 336,000 40,000 28,000 20,000 50,000 474,000 1920 Ultimate. 415,000 190,000 54,000 35,000 13,000 70,000 777,000 515.000 (?) 120,000 78,000 53,000 110,000 This table indicates that the increased irrigation in the basin in 1920 over 1915 is about 300,000 acres and that the desired expansion in the Imperial irrigation district and incontestible or unpreventable expansion in other regions will bring this acreage up to 877,000 acres, or about 400,000 acres more than in 1915, besides the various increases in the upper basin. In addition to this, there are large areas in the Colorado River Reservation, the Mohave Valley, and at some other points where development has been undertaken, or is likely to be undertaken in the near future, which should be taken into account. The above data are certainly convincing that no large area, such as the East Mesa lands and Coacheila Valley, can be added to the irrigated acreage without certainty of water shortage, or if so added