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Show Fish and Wildlife Service Projects 23. The Souris River Chain of National Wildlife Refuges in North Dakota.-This development, under- taken shortly after establishment of the National Wildlife Restoration Program in July 1934, is an outstandingly successful example of waterfowl restoration. The Souris River enters North Dakota from Canada and meanders 358 miles through that State before again crossing the international line into Canada. Two tracts in the Souris Valley, 237 miles apart, have been acquired-the upper- most comprising 32,011 acres and the lower 58,565 acres. Water stored in a reservoir on the Upper Souris Refuge and released to maintain a minimum flow of about 100 second-feet in the river between the refuges, is spread in both refuges by low dikes across the wide valley and held at ideal depths for nesting marsh conditions. The development has restored the tremendous output of waterfowl produced by the areas prior to disastrous drainage activities in the early part of the century and the protracted drought of 1929-34. The peak daily concentration of birds on the Lower Refuge has ranged from 500,000 in 1942 to 1,946,500 in 1947. The two refuges together commonly have a concentration of 3 mil- lion birds. In addition, the storage reservoir affords flood protection for the city of Minot and other towns on the river ; 7,500 acres of hay land are provided with flood irrigation water; and water for sanitary flushing and disposal of municipal waste is provided for commu- nities on the xiver below the reservoir. The development has involved a capital expenditure of about $3,350,000. Inasmuch as the development is pri- marily in thte interests of migratory waterfowl, and its benefits are widely scattered throughout the United States and Canada, its costs are treated on a nonreimbursable basis. Nevertheless, some income is received from various sources. Ha.y harvested on project lands brought a return of $4,313 in. 1949, grazing permits on project uplands brought $5,861, and fur harvests have accounted for more than $8,000 in some years. Bureau of Land Management Projects 24. Alzada Water Spreading System, Montana.-The Alzada water-spreading-system project on range lands of southeastern Montana consists of a series of earth dikes to retard surface runoff and consequent soil erosion, and to increase production for forage by providing supple- mental water through spreading of flood flows. A small experimental development on heavy soils, the system covers 980 acres, of which 760 acres receive benefit from water spreading. Where the soil received heavy flooding, the original vegetation of sagebrush and cactus has given way to a thick stand of western wheat grass. The dikes and increased plant cover have effectively controlled sheet and gully erosion. The increase of 350 percent obtained in grazing capacity has a value, based on livestock prices of the past 8 years, adequate to return costs of construction and of maintenance in a 40-year period, with an annual return of 13 percent on the original investment of $3,300. The improvement has resulted in an increase in appraised value per animal unit of land investment from $100 to $190. Indian Service Projects 25. Fort Hall Indian Irrigation project, Idaho.-Con- struction of the Fort Hall Indian Irrigation project started in 1907 to irrigate 47,044 acres of land, of which 30,500 acres are in Indian ownership and the balance of 16,544 acres in non-Indian ownership. The construction cost to date has been $2,275,000. With additional work to com- plete the development, the total cost of the project is $2,525,000. The project has been successful in spite of the fact that operation of the Indian-owned portion of the project has been hampered by existence of fractionated heirship tracts which will not permit economic operation. In fiscal year 1948, 33,000 acres were irrigated producing crops valued at $2,540,000, or roughly a value of $77 per acre, which exceeds the average gross crop return for the last 10 years on the Fort Hall Unit of $58 per acre. Approximately all of the white-owned lands are under production, and 10,000 acres of Indian-owned lands, most of which are in heirship status, were leased to non-Indians. Non-Indian owned lands are assessed for their pro rata share of annual operation and maintenance costs, whereas Indian-owned lands under existing legislation are not sub- ject to these assessments unless under lease. Annual costs for operation and maintenance for Indian-owned lands arc provided by annual Treasury appropriation. 26. San Carlos Indian Irrigation project, Arizona.- The San Carlos project, in Pinal County, Ariz., was con- structed to irrigate 50,000 acres on the Gila River Indian Reservation and 50,000 acres of white-owned lands con- tiguous to the Indian reservation. Irrigation was practiced by the Indians in the Gila River Valley in prehistoric times. In 1903 five wells were drilled by the Government at Sacaton for the irrigation of In- dian lands in the San Tan area. The construction of the modern project was initiated in 1926 by the construction of the Coolidge Dam and power plant to provide 1,250,000 acre-feet of storage in the Gila River. The project, as constructed, consolidates and embraces lands of the former Florence-Casa Grande project. The construction cost to date is approximately $13,000,- 000, of which approximately $2,100,000 are charged to the power features of the project, which include two generating units in the Coolidge Dam of 7,500 kilowatts each; the Coolidge Diesel generating plant consisting of three units of approximately 4,500 kilowatts total generat- ing capacity, a small Diesel generating plant located at Christmas, Ariz., and a network of transmission and dis- tribution lines. Estimated cost to complete is approxi- mately $500,000, exclusive of land subjugation on Indian reservation lands and the construction and extension of power transmission and distribution lines. The project has suffered critical water shortages during the past decade of drought in the general Southwest area. During the calendar year 1948 approximately 130,000 acre-feet, or 65 percent, of the water supply was obtained by pumping from the underground. This resulted in progressive lowering of the water table. At present the average static lift is 82 feet and the water table has receded approximately 38 feet since the drilling of the wells in 1934. During the calendar year 1949 increased precipita- tion occurred in the watershed above Coolidge Dam which provided an additional 180,000 acre-feet for project use. As a result, crop production on 73,650 acres amounted to 396 |