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Show 18 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFPAIRS Diffivu1t.vh as heen experienced i l l ol~tnininga dequate water supply for tbr Indinnson tbe Walker River lieserration in Sevada. DIIPto ~ ~ ~- ~ ~~~~~~~ - ~-~. . a shortage of supply, the white water users along the stream above the Indian reservat~on are utilizing practically a11 of the available water, so that very little other than seeped and return flow reaches Indian lands. The situation became so serious last spring that aid from the Department of Justice was sought. It is apparent from existing conditions that court action will be necessary in this case before the Indians will be granted their full rights, owing to the location of their lands with relation to lands of the ~ h i t e ssu bject to irrigation. Work has progressed very satisfactorily on the rehabilitation, en-largement, and relocation of the canals of the Fort Hall project in Idaho, for the purpose of adequately caring for the irrigable lands on this project which have heretofore been estimated at 52,000 acres, but under a recent survey shown to reach approximately 55,000 acres. By an act of Congress approved May 9,1924, authorit as granted for the disposal of lands on this reservation, common s y referred to as the Fort Hall Bottoms, for reservoir purposes for use in con-nection with the Minidoka irrigation project under the Reclamation Bureau. The price agreed upon, after several conferences between the bureaus interested was $700,000, which met with the approval of a delegation of Indians duly elected by the tribal council and sent to Washington for this purpose. The area of land to be flooded is within the limitsof what would be a 1,700,000 acre-foot contour line plus a 5-foot freeboard. The determination of a reservoir of this capacity saves to the Indlans 'for their tribal use the better class of lands in the Fort Hall Bottoms, which is of considerable im-portance to them. The act provides for not to exceed $100,000 of the money stipulated to be paid to the Indians for use in relocating, enlarging, and reconstructing the main canal of the Fort Hall irri-gation project so as to provide irrigation facilities for the Indian lands situated in the southern portion of the reservation commonly known as the Michaud Flats, and thus to secure irrigable lands for those Indians who were allotted on the Fort Hall Bottoms and are required by the act to relinquish their allotments. The soil tests :show that the land referred to as the Michaud Flats is of the highest character and quality in that section of the State, after water has ':been applied. ,Much benefit to the Indians is, therefore, secured by this legislation. Following your transfer last spring of the administration of the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Flathead Indian ~roject,M ontana, from the Bureau of Reclamation to the Irriga-tion Service of this bureau, investigations were made which indi-cate favorable possibilities of making a success of this project, that has an ultimate irrigable area, of 125,000 acres. It appears that in the ast considerable speculation in lands existed, due to lack of a uni 2 'o m water rental or as~ssmcntf or oper?tion and maintenance against all the lands on this project to whlch water can actually be served but requiring only payment for water from landowners who applied therefor, and that such speculation resulted in the plac-in of an added burden upon the actual farmers of the project. In orjer to alleviate this situation and to effect justice throughout the |