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Show The Falcon Dam is being constructed. Power plants on each side of the river will be identical in construction and equipment. About 2 million acre-feet will become available for storage, of which 41.4 percent goes to Mexico. A diversion dam is to be built just above Falcon at Anzalduas to complete the irrigation works for Mexican use. Conclusions It is evident that the treaties require direct Fed- eral participation in the maintenance of facilities to deliver water under the terms of the Treaty of 1906 and also to provide joint facilities to effect the agreed division of water as provided by the Treaty of 1944. However, it is desirable that States, irri- gation districts, corporations and individuals who may be affected by such developments should be consulted in order that any conflicting views may be adjusted. After works required by the treaties have been provided, the principal responsibility of the Federal Government will concern operation and maintenance of those facilities to effect compliance with treaty provisions. A further responsibility involves provision of flood protection for the inter- national section of the Rio Grande and the correc- tion of adverse channel conditions which may arise as a result of changing the regimen of river flow by operation of storage works. The marketing of power from power plants at the international dams and the provision of irrigation service from the reservoirs are functions of the Federal Government not under the direction of the International Boundary and Water Commission. Federal policies and responsibilities in these respects should not differ from those of similar activities in other river basins. 5. Extent of Federal Responsibility in Rehabilitat- ing Water and Land Resources of Economically Depressed Communities The Problem The degree to which the Federal Government should take part in the rehabilitation of water and land resources and of economically depressed com- munities in the Rio Grande Basin. The Situation The Rio Grande Basin, generally speaking, is economically sound. It is a critical area in terms of water supply and of watershed protection and management. The established economy is depend- ent primarily upon agriculture in which irrigation plays a dominant part. In the middle Rio Grande and the upper Pecos, the economy is threatened by the progressive aggradation of river channels, deterioration of drainage facilities, improper irri- gation methods, and waterlogging of land. In certain parts of the middle Rio Grande and upper Pecos, the economic plight of the people is even more critical. Here, primarily in the tribu- tary valleys, rural distress is especially critical. This is due in large part to long established cultures which have the tendency to maintain closely-knit communities with little migration, and an inheri- tance practice which divides the land among the descendants of the land owner. As a result, the crowded rural communities have outgrown the land base of these tributary valleys, and the land has been so subdivided that the farms are unable to supply full subsistence to the family. The overcrowding and fragmentation of the land have resulted in poverty and too low levels of living. In some valleys holdings average less than 3 acres per capita. The grazing lands available to these people are overused and eroding seriously, adding damage from flash floods and sedimentation to their other problems. More than two-thirds of the farm families of the area in 1940 had an estimated in- come of less than $600 a year. Many of the people in these communities are reluctant to migrate because of their ties to the area by social and religious custom. Job opportunities for them are exceedingly limited, and except for Federal defense installations there are no industrial enterprises offering employment to large numbers. Efforts toward relieving the Rio Grande situation have been made over the years. The Resettlement Administration and the Farm Security Administra- tion undertook projects of resettlement and re- habilitation in the thirties. Other studies have been made. Most of these efforts have been limited to parts of the problem for lack of willingness or authorization to attack the problem as a whole. Temporary aid has been afforded by Federal relief, engineering works, Government loans, grants and subsidies, Federal defense installations, and by stabilization of crop prices and wages. The problem confronting the local, State, and Federal Governments is how far they are justified in going in their attempt to effect economic and social rehabilitation. 341 |