AZ vs. CA:24 California Exhibits, Vol. XXIV; Miscellaneous

page 52

52 PROBLEMS OF IMPERIAL VALLEY AND VICINITY. There isfno irrigation at the present time nor has there been in the valley. The Indians living here do some farming on a small scale on|the overflow lands, the crops being planted after the receding of the high* water. Land classification and a topographic survey on a scale of 2 inches to the mile were made in 1902 and 1903. , Ownership.-There are no private lands in the valley. The lands were all withdrawn under the reclamation act in 1903. The west side of the river is Indian reservation lands and the east side is public lands. Classification of lands, Chemehuevis Valley project. Area. Gross.' Net. 2,900 1,700 .2,300 1,400 Public lands.....:..................................... .....;........... Total___,.....................:.-.'........... 4,600 3,700 PARKER PROJECT, COLORADO RIVER INDIAN RESERVATION. Location and description.-The Parker Valley, or Colorado River Indian Reservation project, lies on the east side of the Colorado River in Yuma County, Arizona. A small portion of the valley is on the west side of the river, in Riverside County, California. The principal town, Parker, at the head of the valley, with a population of 500, is located on the Atchison, Topeka & Sante Fe Railroad. The Parker Valley has a total length of about 37 miles, extending from Parker on the north to near Ehrenburg on the south. The maximum width of the valley is about 7 miles on the east side of the river. The river channel in this valley is somewhat more stable than in the Mohave Valley, though it is also subject to erosion and to shifting of its bed. The river is said to overflow the lower bottom lands with a flood exceeding 40,000 second-feet, an<J 95,000 acres are said to be subject to overflow during periods of maximum flood. It would appear, therefore, that for anything less than complete flood control by storage a levee system will be necessary, although with partial control the section of the levee and the riprapping could probably oe reduced accordingly. On the.west side of the river there are several separate small areas of bottom land aggregating about 4,000 acres; but, owing to the small area and to the narrowness of the valley, this land could not be protected from overflow within reasonable cost by levees, and it will, therefore, not be considered as a part of the project. With complete flood control by storage, it would probably become attractive to individuals, either by irrigation through direct diversion or low-lift pumps. The bench lands considered as a part of the project consist of the Parker Mesa, at the head of the valley, surrounding the town of Parker. This is an attractive stretch of land, being quite smooth and level, with a gravelly and sandy soil. The bench is from 75 to 150 feet above the bottom lands.