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Show PROBLEMS OF IMPERIAL VALLEY AND VICINITY. 95 The east mesa offers the largest area of good soil, in compact bodies well situated for irrigation. The Coachella Valley also offers extensive areas of good soil, well located, while the west side, though including large areas of good soil, has, through unfavorable location and high elevation, less favorable conditions for development. Most of the land in this survey that is classed as agricultural is of good quality, and with adequate water for irrigation' should give satisfactory yields of crops suited to the climate. Alfalfa, sorghums, barley, cotton, and truck crops should do well, while tomatoes, lettuce, cantaloupes, and other vegetables grown for the early markets should-prove successful. Table grapes, and possibly other fruits, may prove profitable if grown in sufficient quantity to develop adequate marketing facilities. I consider this region, and particularly the east mesa, as an area of great possibilities, where the investment of funds to supply water for irrigation will make possible a material extension of our agricultural lands, the development of new rural communities, and the establishment of a large number of settlers on farm units of high potential value. SUMMARY OF SOIL SURVEY OF IMPERIAL VALLEY. By A. T. Strahorn. East mesa.--The east mesa occupies a roughly triangular area east of the Imperial irrigation district and north of the international boundary line. The gross area of the mesa is 223>,878 acres. The soils are predominantly sands, fine sands, sandy and fine sandy loams, that are friable and porous to a depth of many feet. Windblown sands and fine sands form extensive deposits on the floor of the mesa, and over 40,000 acres of the mesa are tendered nonagri-cultural by this material. The soils, except for a few very limited areas, are free of alkali and possess excellent drainage features. The wind-blown sands have a very broken topography, and an uneven surface is formed by the old beach line and its adjacent slopes. These districts comprise about 24 per cent of the area of the mesa, and the balance (76 per cent) has a very uniform to slightly-hummocky surface, none of which is 'too uneven to be utilized for irrigation and cultivation. With the exception of limited areas along the western margin of the mesa, no injuriously high ground water or accumulations of alkali are expected to develop. The soils of the mesa have been placed into three units, depending upon their apparent value for agricultural development. The following table gives a summary of the acreage of the lands on the mesa: Acres. Per cent. Agricultural: First unit. Second unit. 125,227 44,512 Total. Nonagricultural lands. 169,739 54,139 76 24 Total. 223,878 100 93715-S. Doc. 142,67-2- |
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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] : |