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<br />USE OF LAND AND WATER AS AFFECTED <br />BY MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />C. A. Anderson, District Engineer, San Carlos Irrigation and <br />Drainage District, Arizona <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />About 240/0 of the land area of the United States is under federal <br />ownership and control. About 85 percent of all federally owned land is <br />in eleven western states. In Colorado, 38 percent of the area is in <br />federal ownership; New Mexico 44 percent; California 46 percent; Wyoming <br />51 percent; Utah 72 percent; Arizona 73 percent, and Nevada 87 percent. <br />Watersheds to which we look for the production of usable water supplies <br />are largely under the ownership and control of the federal government. <br />Because of the sharp contrast between the western states and the others <br />in distribution of land ownership, the problems in land. and water use <br />which directly affect the federal government are concentrated in the <br />western states. This minority of states encounter s difficulty in obtaining <br />administrative and legislative action at the national level on these problems <br />which upon casual examination appear to be of slight concern to the remain- <br />ing states. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Potential land values remain substantially unaltered since the begin- <br />ning of .settlement, although practices in use have led to both deterioration <br />and improvement. Damage through unwise use appears more acute in <br />older settled areas. The productive capacity of other large areas has been <br />materially improved. Regardless of past practices, the character and po- <br />tentialities of land can be definitely determined and catalogued by classes <br />in terms of adaptability to a given use, or the best use. This has been done <br />in selected areas, and striking results reported. But attempts to accomplish <br />the ideal in selection and development of larger areas, and maintenance of <br />such areas to a specified use, encounter two important factors, ownership <br />of land and availability of water. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Extended droughts may cause severe shortage of water supply, <br />leading many to conclude that the hydrology of the area is changing, and the <br />over-all water supply is diminishing. It is more probable that general <br />shortage results from unreasonably high demand, based on years of high <br />water production, without allowance for regulation and balancing of average <br />supply. Control and regulation of available supplies against increased de- <br />mands are essential to any intelligent program of water use. The over-all <br />supply remains essentially unchanged, but the need for water is increasing <br />at a rate: which calls for improvement in methods of allocation and use. <br />We must soon obtain better knowledge of our total water supply and strive <br />for better and wiser use of it, particularly in irrigation practice. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />In connection with availability and use of water, there are related <br />matters of irrigation, flood control, drainage, storage and regulation, <br />industrial, urban and domestic supplies, erosion control, forestry, timber <br />management and grazing. Thus conflicts of interest arise among the many <br />who claim rights of ownership or use in the water supply. Because these <br />interests desire to continue their present uses of water and are striving to <br />obtain additional water for future needs, differences will be aggravated un- <br />less there can be improved methods of management and control of the <br />resources. Use of land and water brings these two resources together <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />-31- <br />