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<br /> insured at once." When the efforts, gradually, according Colorado River water to doubt that the Colorado has ~ }~
<br /> bill came up for hearing in to government-written histo- thrive. a major impact on the state's -::!
<br />. 1862,withlaughterstill ry, a movement began that To the newly appointed economy.
<br /> resounding in the ears of all stressed federal reclamation officials of the U.S. The river's water is put to
<br /> present, it was unceremoni~ as a m~ans of settling the Reclamation Service in use directly along the river
<br /> ously shelved. West and strengthening the 1902, Arizona's Salt River on the Arizona side, primarily
<br /> But the idea did not die. "family farm." Preserving V alley seemed an ideal in Yuma and LaPaz counties
<br /> Beginning in 1891, a series that family farm was widely location for a pioneer recla- and to a lesser extent,
<br /> of attempts by a fly-by-night believed to be one of the mation project; Favorable Mohave County. In central
<br /> promoter and an enthusias- objectives of Congress in geological formations at the and southern Arizona it
<br /> tic young engineer, later passing the Reclamation Act proposed damsite, the large ,must be moved through an
<br /> joined by a grizzled, old sur- of 1902 and its later amend- double-winged valley to aqueduct system to
<br /> veyor, a wealthy civil engi- ments and extensions. One contain the reservoir-and Maricopa and Pinal counties
<br /> neer and irrigation expert of the things the act did was fertile farmlands would and, to a lesser extent, Pima
<br /> and one or two others led to provide for the construc- . assure the repayment of the County.
<br /> to the formation of the tion of water storage and government loan. All these The most prominent
<br /> California Development distribution facilities in the' . factors suggested a highly A~ona state leader in the'
<br /> Company. By 1901 water westernmost states-dams, successful project tq which development of a Colorado
<br /> was making its way through canals, tUnnels, reservoirs- Reclamation could point as River water supply was U.S.
<br /> a canal which they had with the recipients later to a strong example of its pur- Senator Carl Hayden, who
<br /> named the Alamo into what reimburse the government pose. Its completion in. 1911 set a recordforcongression-
<br /> by this time regally had been for theeosts. assured the valley of its first aI servICe: 15 yeais in the
<br /> dubbed the Imperial Valley. Swiftly there followed a reliable year-round water House followed by 42 in the
<br /> Within a few years, another series of reclamation pro- supply. Senate. His last term ended ~ ;
<br /> private colonizatiOn plan jects: 110,000 acres made Today nearly 900,000 the year following the autho- t
<br /> was under way just upriver available for irrigation in acres of land are harvested rization of the Central
<br /> at Palo Verde, an effort Arizona, followed by anoth- each year in the state of Arizona Project in 1968.
<br /> which opened up nearly er 213,000 acres there; first Arizona -an income from
<br /> 70,000 acres. The Palo 55,000 acres in Colorado, all crops, livestock and CALIFORNIA
<br /> Verde Land and Water soon another 97,000; 55,000 products of close to $1.8 The Golden State, with the
<br /> Company purchased the . acres in Utah. These early billion, with crops having a largest number of acres
<br /> estate of Thomas Blythe projects illustrated clearly slight edge over livestock under irrigation cjf ftIly of the .
<br /> .
<br /> and became the parent the potential of the Colorado and products in income seven basin states, provides
<br /> company of the Mutual River. earned. To take the contri- Colorado River water to
<br /> Water Company which, Bigger projects followed bution a step further, an nurture agriculture primarily .
<br /> along with districts created. in both the upper and lower agricultural publication to three southeastern
<br /> for specialized purposes, basins. Major dams im- estimated that "farms, ' California agencies.
<br /> eventually evolved into one . pounded water on the ranches and dependent The largest user islhe .
<br /> organization -today'sPalo Colorado and conveyance agribusinesses had a total ' lmperiaIValley.Since1942,
<br /> Verde IrrigationDistrict. systems provided irrigation impact of $6.3 billion in , the valley hasreceived its" ,
<br /> Blythe had in 1877 made toacreage once only turned tqtaloutput or $2.7 billion, water through the S2-mi!e . " ,,' ~ -:
<br /> the first filing o,n Colorado green in day dreams. in value added per year long All-AmeriClln Canal.
<br /> River water in California Today more than 1.75.mil- during the three years which carries it west from
<br /> when he recorded a request lion acres ofland are irrigat- between 1988 and 1990. Imperial Dam on .the river
<br /> for 190,000 miners i1)ches ed with water from the They also accounted for to irrigate its nearly 500,000 .
<br /> for" agricultural, minirig, Colorado River. 94,300 full-time, part-time acres. The availability ofthis
<br /> manufacturing, domestic and seasonal jobs." water and a considerate cli-
<br /> and commercial purposes." ARIZONA Cotton lint, cottonseed, mate make the viilley one of
<br /> He had acquired some On April 20, 1886, the editor hay, wheat, barley, corn, the most productive agricu!-
<br /> 40,000 acres and spent of Phoenix's Arizona Gazette sorghum, potatoes, lettuce, tural regions in the world,
<br /> $82,000 bnilding a canal wrote "The proposition to onions, cauliflower, broc- producing nearly $1 billion
<br /> from the river before any divert the waters of the coli, carrots, miscellaneous in crops annually. Roughly
<br /> irrigation was accom- Colorado River so as to vegetables, honeydews, one out of every three jobs
<br /> plished. A series of mishaps, bring the great desert under cantaloupes, watermelons, in the valley is related to
<br /> followed by Blythe's death cultivation is chimerical.... grapefruit, oranges, lemons, agriculture.
<br /> in 1883 and the freezing of The great expense attending tangerines, grapes - they're There are more than
<br /> his assets by creditors had the consummation of such a all among the crops grown. 1 million total acres within
<br /> marked the temporary end project-experiment, we In Arizona, about 25 per- Imperial Irrigation District
<br /> of agricultural development would say - is entirely cent of the state's water is boundaries, and of these
<br /> in the valley. excess of any benefits that provided by the Colorado 407 ,OOO-plus acres are used
<br /> With the lack of success may safely be expected." River. Of that 25 percent, for field crops, nearly 96,000
<br /> of the majority of private More than 100 years later, about 80 percent is used for for vegetable crops and more
<br /> many farmlands depend on agriculture. So there is little than 20,000 for permanent
<br /> crops. With some 90 different
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