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Show 70 DIXIE PROJECT, UTAH cotton industry was short lived, however; and today Utah's Dixie is unique for the varieties of fruits and nuts and farm produce which can be grown there when water is available. The early colonizers initiated an irrigation system which opened up these croplands and fruit orchards. However, without river control and storage, it was then and still is today impossible to divert a plentiful supply of water from the rivers and streams in this arid region. The Dixie project will someday stand as a monument to the courage, heartbreak, faith, and determination that marked the long fight of the early settlers to establish a foothold in Dixie. These pioneers exerted back- breaking efforts, year after year, to dam the Virgin and Santa Clara Rivers, to plant crops and irrigate the fields, only to have these irrigation facilities washed out by floods and the crops wither. In modern days, southern Utah has suffered from severe drought condition for well over a decade. Yet, the watershed of the Virgin River is subject periodically to torrential rainstorms which have resulted in devastating damage to farms and homes as well as a tremendous loss of precious water. These drought and flood conditions dramatically demonstrate the need for a large, centralized program to control the Virgin River and its tributary, the Santa Clara, and to bring the two rivers into full production. Time is of the essence. The towns of southern Utah are undergoing a period of transition and reappraisal. Already modern interstate highways are bypassing communities whose lack of water and many natural resources have forced them to lean heavily on the tourist trade. The Dixie project would bring to the area the assurance of plentiful water, electric power, recreation resources, and other values that will serve as the foundation for a revitalized and modernized agricultural development and will permit local industry and population growth. 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. PBOJECT BENEFITS The Dixie project is a proposed multiple- purpose water resource development in the Virgin River Basin in southwestern Utah. By regulation of flows of the Virgin River and its tributary, the Santa Clara River, the project would provide supplemental irrigation water to 0,455 acres of presently developed land and a full water supply for 11,615 acres of new land. 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 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 in floods. The project also will permit the conservation of those portions of normal flows which are in excess of immediate requirements for irrigation and other purposes. The major benefits of the project of course will accrue to Washington County, in which the main facilities will be located. Cedar City, in Iron County, will also be benefitted through my amendment in the Senate- passed bill which points out the already- existing contractual arrangement under which the Cedar City area would receive 8,000 acre- feet of water annually. This language was written so that Cedar City's citizens would be fully protected. When the Kolob Dam and Reservoir was constructed by the Kolob Reservoir and Storage in Washington County in 1956, it was agreed that Cedar City would construct works for the diversion of up to 8,000 acre- feet of water from tributaries of the Virgin River for municipal use. It should be noted that Cedar City agreed to reimburse the project for power revenue losses resulting from this diversion. The Dixie project bills introduced in the 88th Congress by Senator Moss and myself were essentially the same, except for a provision in my bill relating to the Cedar City agreement. In my testimony before the Senate Irrigation and Reclamation Subcommittee, I said it would be equally satisfactory to me for the subcommittee either to have Senator Moss' bill amended to add this clause or to approve my bill, whichever the committee desired. I was pleased, therefore, when the committee agreed to include my Cedar City amendment in S. 26. |
