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Show 44 UPDATING THE HOOVER DAM DOCUMENTS C.4.3.1 Yuma Irrigation District Water Use The South Gila Valley water delivery contract has provisions similar to the North Gila Valley contract with regard to the quantity of water to be delivered to it. In 1975, 1976, and 1977, the District consumptively used 59,278, 59,660, and 60,460 acre-feet of Colorado River water respectively; i.e., diversions less measured return flows. It also used 13,369 and 13,029 acre-feet of pumped water in 1975 and 1976, respectively. The foregoing completes the Gila Project water delivery and related contracts (see C.5 infra). C.5 Yuma Auxiliary Project (Unit B) This project was initially authorized under the provisions of the Act of January 25, 1917, 39 Stat. 868, as a part of the Yuma Reclamation Project, and originally called for irrigation of 45,000 acres on the adjacent Yuma Mesa. The Act of June 13, 1949, 63 Stat. 172, reduced the area of the Yuma Auxiliary Project to 3,305 acres by excluding certain described lands therefrom, allowed an exchange of water rights for the severed land to the lands in the reduced area, and authorized execution of a contract with an organization representing the water users in the Limited Project to permit delivery of water through works of the adjacent Gila Project rather than the Yuma Project; i.e., the B-Lift Pumping Plant which pumped water 72 feet to the Yuma Auxiliary Project lands from the East Main Canal of the Yuma Project's Valley Division in Arizona. The B-Lift Pumping Plant was then dismantled. A further reduction in acreage was made by the Act of February 15, 1956, 70 Stat. 15. On December 22, 1952, Contract No. 14-06-300-44 was executed by the Unit B Irrigation and Drainage District and the United States. It provided for the delivery of Colorado River water through the A8.9 lateral of the Gila Project (which served lands on the Yuma Mesa) for the irrigation of 3,305 acres of irrigable lands situate within the Unit B or Yuma Auxiliary Project covered by land and/or water right applications, subject to agreement that the capacity provided for the District in Imperial and Laguna Dams and in all Gila Project works utilized for the benefit of the District lands was 100 ftVs. The contract further provided for construction of certain works and District assumption of their O&M, and for repayment of the costs of these works established at $965,873, including $456,090 for a share of Gila Project costs and $509,783 for extension and betterment of Yuma Auxiliary Project works, and a share of the O&M costs of Gila Project works utilized in delivering water to the District; i.e., the Gila Headworks of Imperial Dam, the Gila Gravity Main Canal, and the Yuma Mesa Pumping Plant. It also provided for establishment of a reserve fund, maintenance of books and records, applicability of excess land laws, and for validation of the contract in the State courts. Water deliveries through Gila Project works began on July 6, 1953. This contract was amended by the parties on July 18, 1956, to reflect the aforesaid reduction in acreage provided for by the Act of February 15, 1956. Another supplemental and amendatory contract was executed by the parties on October 20, 1959. It provided for the District's assumption of O&M of the District's distribution system as of January 1, 1960, the District's payment of O&M costs of works common to the District and the Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District, and a review of those costs by the United States. As of September 30, 1977, $351,101 had been repaid. On August 22, 1962, Contract No. 14-06-300-1274 was executed by the parties. It provided for the rehabilitation and betterment of certain project works by the District with funds advanced by the United States, and repayment of the costs thereof, not to exceed $450,000. The costs were later fixed at $335,764. This included installation of three irrigation wells which the District later decided not to construct for various reasons including the impact of the availability of the ground-water pumping on the District's Colorado River water delivery contract and other rights to Colorado River water; i.e., "present perfected rights." As of September 30, 1977, $135,000 had been repaid. |
