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Show 80 DIXIE PROJECT, UTAH to change our previous decision. He pointed out that this project will mean a great deal to the economy of the State, and he did not think that the State road commission should delay the project in any way. Chairman Balch said that this road would have been rebuilt prior to this time if it had not been for this project, and this is a necessary improvement not caused by the reservoir project. A motion Was then made by Commissioner Smirl, seconded by Commissioner Bagley, and unanimously passed: " That we reaffirm our position as before, that we will proceed with reconstruction of Highway U- 15 to an alinement which will clear the proposed reservoir site, as a Federal- aid highway project, so that it will not interfere with the cost of the reclamation project, providing other avenues of obtaining Federal funds are not available." DIXIE RECLAMATION PBOJECT- RELOCATION OF U- 15 Director Burton said " that in order to insure the people who are presently working on a congressional level to acquire approval of the Dixie reclamation project it is necessary to reaffirm our previous action of September 11, 1961, that we still stand ready to assist the State in acquiring this project by assuming the relocation of the highway, which must be done in any event." Mr. ROGERS. Our next witness this morning is Mr. Kenneth Holum, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Power. STATEMENT OF KENNETH HOLTTM, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR FOR WATER AND POWER Mr. HOLUM. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, for 25 years the Bureau of Reclamation has been investigating the opportunity for developing the water resources of southwestern Utah and its Virgin and Santa Clara Rivers. I am happy to have the opportunity to appear before this committee this morning and make a brief statement in support of legislation to authorize construction of the Dixie proj ect. The distinguished members of the delegation from Utah and the members of this committee have already made it abundantly clear that water is the most precious resource in the Southwestern part of the United States, both in Utah and the other States of that region. It is hardly necessary for me to amplify the urgency of moving ahead in water resources development in this important part of our country, I leave to Mr. Dominy and others the job of presenting the project in detail, and the economic analysis of the project. I want very briefly to indicate on the Department's behalf the need for moving ahead on this excellent project. This area of the country is one where the water is a most precious resource. The Dixie project, as we will present it to you this morning, is a multipurpose project in a very real sense of the word, providing a fine opportunity to put the waters of this particular region of Utah to beneficial consumption use. The project we will be presenting to you provides, first of all, for full service agricultural water to 11,615 acres, and supplemental service to 9,445 acres of valuable agricultural land that now has irrigation water available to it, but not in adequate supply. We are talking, then, in terms of an agricultural water project in the amount of 21,060 acres total. The project will also develop 5,000 acre- feet of municipal and industrial water for the city of St. George, |
