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Show BOULDER CANYON PROJECT 13 silt cotitrol, reimbursing itself for the costs from sales of stored water and the large quantities of power which can be incidentally generated. Future developments of the river by private or municipal enterprise will suffer no interference therefrom. HOW THE PROJECT TOOK FORM As early as January 12, 1907, President Roosevelt submitted to Congress a message upon the problems of the lower Colorado River, in which he outlined and urged a development which will become a reality upon the completion of the project here authorized. Thus, he said: The construction work required would be: The main canal, some 60 miles in length, from Laguna Dam into the Imperial Valley; the repair and partial construction of the present distribution system in the valley and its extension to other lands mainly public; diversion dams and distribution systems in the Colorado River Valley, and provision for supplementing the natural flow of the river by means of such storage reservoirs as may be necessary. Proceeding in his message, he said: The Imperial Valley will never have a safe and adequate supply of water until the main canal extends from the Laguna Dam. At each end this dam is connected with rock bluffs and provides a permanent heading founded on rock for the diversion of the water. Any works built below this point would not be safe from destruction by floods and can not be depended upon for a permanent and reliable supply of water to the valley. On February 16, 1918, by contract between the Secretary of the Interior and the Imperial irrigation district provision was made for the creation of an all-American canal board to consist of one member named by the Reclamation Service, one by the district and one by the University of California, such board to investigate the feasibility of an all-American canal. The engineers selected were Dr. Elwood Mead, now Commissioner of Reclamation; W. W. Schlecht; and C. E. Grunsky. This board reported on July 22, 1919, recommending an all-American canal. On May 18, 1920, Congress passed the so-called Kinkaid Act, by which the Secretary of the Interior was directed to make investigation of the problems of the lower Colorado and report back to Congress his recommendations as to the proper plan of development. An appropriation of $20,000 was made. As investigations proceeded this was supplemented by appropriations from the Imperial irrigation district, Arizona, Los Angeles, Pasadena, and other interested communities, aggregating SI71,000. Other appropriations were made by Congress, making a total of about $400,000. A preliminary report was completed in the early part of 1921. Public hearings on this were had by the Secretary of the Interior, and on February 28, 1922, his formal report recommending in substance the project here authorized was transmitted to Congress. This report is published as Senate Document No. 142, Sixty-seventh Congress, second session. Bills were introduced in both Houses to carry out the recommendations of the report, and hearings were had. Passage of legislation (the forerunner of the present bill) was recommended by the Interior Department in a communication to the House Committee on Irrigation, on June 14, 1922. (Hearing? on H. R. 11449, 67th Cong., 2d sess., p. 4.) |
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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. |