OCR Text |
Show DIXIE PROJECT, UTAH 19 Mr. WEST. Payment, agricultural payment capacities have increased in the area. The agricultural is on a better footing than it has been. That is true, I think, of nearly all irrigated area advances in fertilizer, techniques; economic procedures have made a better situation. Mr. CHENOWETH. Would you say this development has been the determining factor in converting this into a feasible project? Mr. WEST. Yes; and in addition to that, of course, this is the only area in all of reclamation that does not have an affirmative arrangement for aid to irrigation from power, and Hoover Dam, as you know, is authorized under the Board of Canyon Project Act and the Board of Canyon Adjustment Act, and there is no opportunity for the use of those revenues as there is, for instance, in Grand Coulee Dam to aid irrigation. Consequently, all of our projects in region 3 have had to be 100 percent reimbursable before they could get very far. Where power revenue is available it's been much easier. Mr. CHENOWETH. IS this going to be firm power ? ,; Mr. WEST. Yes; it will be primarily firm power. Mr. CHENOWETH. YOU have had a dry year, I believe, in this area this year; is that correct ? Mr. WEST. On the Colorado Kiver watershed generally; yes, sir. Mr. CHENOWETH. The drought extended generally over the West, and in a year like this you would have difficulty providing firm power. Mr. WEST. There might have been some diminution, yes; in this year, but with normal storage and holdover capacity it would be pretty well ironed out. Mr. CHENOWETH. HOW much of the water storage each year would be used for irrigation? Will it be a large holdover, or will you require most of the water each year ? Mr. WEST. Well, the reservoir itself is not very large and it would require a good deal of it. Mr. CHENOWETH. In other words, you wouldn't carry very much over from year to year? Mr. WEST. Not a great deal. The maximum carryover period would be about 10 years. What volume would that be ? Mr. PELMAN. Oh, we have an average flow of, in the order of 140jOOO acre- feet and an annual release of- in the order of 85,000 acre- feet, so there would be some holdover year by year from the wet years to the carryover in the dry years. Mr. CHENOWETH. The allocation to irrigation would be repaid over what period? Mr. WEST. We figured this on a 50- year repayment period, with the maximum, of course, permitted ordinarily. Mr. CHENOWETH. That is with the aid of the power revenue? Mr. WEST. Yes, sir. Mr. CHENOWETH. And what are you going to do about the balance? Mr. WEST. The balance that I mentioned, something in the neighborhood of $ 3 million, would have to be repaid by revenues from other power projects in the region under the Secretary of the Interior's Southwest water plan. For instance, those revenues would come from Rich Canyon powerplant and Marble, and when paid out, from Hoover, Parker, and Davis. |