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Show and Reclamation, and by the Fish and Wildlife, Forest, Soil Conservation, and National Park Serv- ices. Such programs also will enhance greatly the timber and range resources. An essential element in near-future actions in the upper basin therefore is coordination and particularly intensification of land treatment activities. Another element in plans for the upper basin is enhancement of recreation values. The National Park Service has recently com- pleted a recreation survey of the entire Colorado River Basin. That survey provides information for the selection of recreation facilities to be asso- ciated with future water resources developments in the upper and lower basins. Because of the basin's great scenic attractions, further develop- ment facilities are an indispensable element. A final objective is preservation and enhance- ment of fish and wildlife habitat. While some benefit wall be incidental to reservoir construction, specific projects for fish and wildlife also should be included. In 1950 the Fish and Wildlife Service was proposing early action on the Jackson Lake Project, a wildlife restoration project in New Mex- ico. No others are proposed for immediate action. Elements of a Program in the Lower Basin Within, the lower basin about 1.4 million acres of land are now irrigated. Total present use of water is estimated at about 5 million acre-feet an- nually. This, includes present diversion by the Metropolitan Water District for municipal purposes in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Under ulti- mate development the irrigated acreage under ex- isting Federal projects can be increased by about 300,000 a.cres. The water required by this increase in acreage and allowance for increasing diversions by the presently constructed Los Angeles aqueduct will bring- the total existing and authorized uses to about 6 million acre-feet annually. Under the water allocation of the Colorado River Compact an additional 1.5 million acre-feet of annual con- sumptive use remains for the satisfaction of other uses in the lower basin. The remaining 1.5 million acre-feet of appor- tioned ar*nual consumptive use is the subject of serious controversy between Arizona and California. Arizona desires to use approximately 1.2 million acre-feet of that amount under her proposed Cen- tral Arizona Project. California contends that the flow of th« river is insufficient to supply the Arizona proposal as well as California's water claims for additional future uses. Until this controversy is settled there can be no substantial development of Colorado River water in either of the two States. The controversy, however, does not extend to the minor potential developments in the lower basin sections of Utah and Nevada, one of which is the proposed Dixie Project on the Virgin River in Utah. The Dixie Project would consume about £0,000 acre-feet annually on 9,050 acres of presently irri- gated lands and about 13,600 acres of new lands, but construction cannot proceed until there is an agreement between the States of Utah and Nevada with respect to the division of the waters of the Virgin River and its tributaries. The proposed Moapa Valley Project in Nevada would supple- ment 3,250 acres of presently irrigated lands of which 355 acres are in the Moapa Indian Reserva- tion. A water supply would also be furnished about 1,200 acres of new land. Between the Glen Canyon Dam site in the upper basin and the proposed Bridge Canyon Reservoir in the lower basin, the river drops approximately 1,260 feet. Approximately 950 feet of this drop is within the boundary of the Grand Canyon Na- tional Park. The proposed Marble Canyon Proj- ect would utilize 300 feet of fall outside the park for a 350,000-kilowatt installation.10 Marble Canyon Project could operate as an afterbay to the Glen Canyon development. The proposed Bridge Canyon Dam and power plant would be constructed near the head of Lake Mead, 117 miles upstream from Hoover Dam. The dam would create a reservoir of 3.7 million acre-feet capacity, and have a power plant of at least 750,000 kilowatts capacity. The reservoir pool would reach all the way through Grand Canyon National Monument and flood about 18 miles of the river in the lower end of the Grand Canyon National Park. Other Elements of a Lower Basin Program Measures for control of flood damage are impor- tant elements in a balanced program for the lower basin. Six projects were under construction in the lower basin in 1950.u Further flood control needs and measures will be the subject of continuing in- 10 Only 22,000 kilowatts would be developed at Marble Canyon if the alternative Kanab Greek tunnel project were included in plans. 11 Tucson Diversion Channel, Whitlow Ranch Reser- voir, Alamo Reservoir, Painted Rock Flood Control Basin, Mathews Canyon, and Pine Canyon Flood Control Basins. 460 |
