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Show -14- (10) The Mexican Burden There are about 200,000 acres of land in Mexico which now use Colorado River Waters for irrigation. This land lies mostly on the west side of the river, south of the lands of the California Imperial Valley. The present water use on this land is about 700,000 acre feet annually. There is, roughly speaking, about one-half million acres more that could be irrigated and used if there were water for such lands. The water that Mexico now uses is carried through a canal which has its head gate at Hanlon's Heading, a few miles below Yuma, Arizona. This canal carries both the Mexican waters and the waters for the Imperial Valley. The amount of water to which Mexico will be entitled must be settled by a treaty between the United States and Mexico. Arizona, California, and Nevada are anxious that the treaty may be made in the near future, so that they may know definitely what the Mexican water allotment will be. (11) The Parker-Gila Project Arizona is not contending for water for any particular project, but rather water for the State of Arizona. Where it will be applied will be a matter for Arizona's future determination. However, the Parker-Gila project has been so many times mentioned that it might be well to say something regarding it. It is estimated to contain about 800,000 acres. Its lands lie along the Colorado River and on both sides of the Gila. To irrigate these lands, it would be necessary to construct a dam in the Colorado River near the town of Parker, Arizona, where the head gate of the canal would be located. The canal would then run in a southerly direction, watering Arizona land on the |
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Original book: [State of Arizona, complainant v. State of California, Palo Verde Irrigation District, Coachella Valley County Water District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, City of Los Angeles, California, City of San Diego, California, and County of San Diego, California, defendants, United States of America, State of Nevada, State of New Mexico, State of Utah, interveners] : California exhibits. |