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Show 10 DIXIE PEQJECT, UTAH especially pleased on July 31, when the subcommittee favorably reported and did include my Cedar City amendment. Of course, the major benefits of the project will accrue to Washington County, in which it is located. By regulation of flows of the Virgin River and its tributary, the Santa Clara River, the project would provide supplemental irrigation water to 9,445 acres of presently developed land and a full water supply for 11,615 acres of new land. In addition, the city of St. George would be provided with 5,000 acre- feet of water annually for municipal and industrial purposes. Construction of three powerplants, as proposed in the project plan, would produce about 44,500,000 kilowatt- hours of firm electric energy and about 1,900,000 kilowatt- hours of secondary energy for sale annually. In addition, minor flood control benefits would result, as would fish and wildlife and recreation benefits. Water storage facilities are considered to be the primary need of the Dixie project area. Development of such facilities would provide for the conservation and orderly release of water that is now wasted. The resulting supply of stored water would serve as the foundation for a revitalized and modernized agricultural development, and to permit local industry and population growth. The proposed Dixie project will be divided into two divisions, i The first is the Hurricane division, along the Virgin River. It would consist of the Virgin City Dam, Reservoir, and powerplant, the Hurricane division main canal, and the Bench Lake and Warner power- plants. The second is the Santa Clara division, which will consist of the Lower Gunlock Dam and Reservoir and rehabilitation of an existing canal. The total cost of the project is now estimated to be $ 44,822,000. ; ^ A Utah's Dixie has experienced years of serious drought, and the water situation is even now critical. Unless the Dixie project is built, there appears to be no possibility that additional water supplies can be developed. The future of the entire area is dependent upon Congressional approval and construction of the Dixie project. That is why the local people have agreed to impose an almost un- precedentedly high tax to repay their share of the project costs. This 5- mill ad valorem tax contrasts with the usual levy of from 1 to 2 mills for other reclamation projects. The local people have further demonstrated their complete cooperation by forming a local conservancy district which, based upon the high tax levy, will repay 76 percent of the irrigation costs. In order to complete repayment, the Dixie bill provides for allocating the remainder to power revenues that will arise from Lower Colorado Basin dams, since the Virgin River is a lower basin stream. This same principle is used in connection with the Colorado River storage project, which established a formal basin account. Moreover, it is my understanding that some 15 additional Western reclamation projects have utilized the same principle without establishing a basin account. In conclusion, I again voice my wholehearted support of the Dixie project and urge its prompt and favorable approval. It has been determined by all agencies concerned that the project has engineering feasibility; that it is economically justified; that the reimbursable cost can be repaid within the standard 50- year repayment period; and that construction would be a forward step in the conservation and |