OCR Text |
Show resident on such land, or occupant thereof resid- ing in the neighborhood" of such land. But this residence requirement was omitted from the cur- rently effective 1926 statute requiring that repay- ment contracts be made with irrigation districts instead of the individual contracts under the 1902 act. This principle of acreage limitation has been retained in reclamation legislation with modifi- cation or qualified exception as to specific projects, or as to means of accomplishment. For example, the 1943 Columbia Basin Act directs the estab- lishment of "farm units" limited to 160 acres. In addition, it defines a "family" and prohibits de- livery of project waters to or for more than one farm unit owned by any one family, or other landowner. Additional antispeculation provisions are con- tained in several acts. These require agreements by the landholders to dispose of excess lands at appraised prices. Such prices are to be fixed with- out regard to establishment of the irrigation project. The 1940 Wheeler-Case Act combines, as ob- jectives, rehabilitation and settlement of farm families with unemployment relief construction of smaller irrigation projects by the Secretary of the Interior. Certain related functions are as- signed to the Secretary of Agriculture. With the discontinuance of the Civilian Conservation Corps, however, new projects have not been ini- tiated under this statute in the postwar period. The Bureau of Land Management of the De- partment of the Interior also has certain respon- sibilities pertaining to irrigation objectives on pub- lic lands. Noteworthy too is the fact that the Geological Survey publishes water supply and ir- rigation papers. And reference has earlier been made to the "308 Reports" of the Army Engi- neers, which formulated plans for stream im- provement, including irrigation. Provision for irrigation projects has been made in the course of Government trusteeship of Indian lands and water rights, authorized to be admin- istered by the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Inclusion of cer- tain Indian lands in reclamation projects is au- thorized, under specified conditions, free of assess- ment liens. Subject to the provisions of certain treaties and special acts, allotted lands are subject to acreage limitations. By the 1932 Leavitt Act, uncollected construction assessments were can- celed, and future ones deferred during Indian ownership. Conditions peculiar to Indian irriga- tion needs have led to application of feasibility de- terminations different from those applied to other Federal projects. Numerous special acts apply- ing to specific projects have thus resulted. The long history of irrigation legislation thus depicts a growing willingness of the Federal Gov- ernment to shoulder a national responsibility for aid to irrigation undertakings in the West. Power and Multiple-Purpose Projects Laws respecting the control of water for mul- tiple uses, including particularly the development of power, have been influenced by certain basic factors affecting the life of man, such as hydro- logic conditions, competition among uses of water, and differing economic conditions. The ever-increasing urge to derive maximum benefits from natural resources in water and land made inevitable the transition from single-purpose to multiple-purpose Federal projects. Correspond- ingly, with efforts to multiply benefits while mini- mizing costs, the history of power development portrays much of the growth of the multiple- purpose concept. The year 1879 marked the real beginning for power and multiple-purpose projects, when Con. gress authorized the Secretary of the Army to lease water power at a Federal navigation dam on the Mississippi River to a private company if it could be done "consistently with the interests of the Government of the United States." Control over the building of dams and other structures in navigable waters and prohibition against inter- ference with navigable capacity were first imposed by Congress in 1890 and strengthened in 1899. The use of public lands and reservations for power development and distribution was expressly authorized in 1901. The 1906 General Dam Act prescribed conditions of general applicability for those non-Federal developments which Congress 289 |