WSP10224

• File Number: 8270.100
• Description: Colorado River Basin Water Quality/Salinity -- Misc Water Quality
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/1993
• Author: USDOI
• Title: Quality of Water - Colorado River Basin - Progress Report No. 16 - January 1993
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

32 Chapter 4-Presenl and Future Development

Lake Havasu Irrigation and Drainage District

Contracts exist with Lake Havasu Irrigation and
N Drainage District for an annual diversion of up
..... to 14,500 acre-feet,
o
o
Central Arizona Project

The Colorado River Basin Project Act authorizes
the CAP to furnish irrigation and municipal
water supplies to the water deficient areas of
Arizona and western New Mexico through direct
diversion or exchange of water, This project is
now under construction with water deliveries to
Tucson expected in 1992, This project will
provide water to Indian lands and a replacement
water supply to non-Indian lands now being
irrigated, Water made available to non-Indian
lands can be used only on lands having a recent
irrigation history, The CAP must withstand
shortages up to its full allocation if there is
insufficient mainstream water to satisfy an
annual consumptive use of 7,5 maf apportioned
under the Supreme Court Decree of March 1964
to the States of Nevada, Arizona, and California,
When shortages occur, diversions to the CAP
will be limited to ensure senior priority right
holders of their entitled diversions from the
Colorado River mainstream water, A maximum
of2,17 maf of Colorado River water is all that
could be diverted with a canal capacity of
3,000 cubic feet per second (ft3ts),

In 1991, about 454,000 acre-feet were diverted,
Predictions for depletions vary; however, an
estimated full depletion level of about 1.5 maf
per year can be expected by 2015,

Colorado River Indian Reservation

The Colorado River Indian Reservation is
located along the Colorado River, just below
Parker Dam, with most of the land in Arizona
and the remainder in California, The Supreme
Court Decree allocated 717,148 acre-feet of
diversions to the Colorado River Indian
Reservation for irrigation of 107,588 acres of
land, There are 99,375 acres ofland in Arizona,
of which about 76,000 acres have been
developed, The Bureau of Indian Affairs has
reported a generaI2,000-acre-per-year land

development rate on the reservation in the past,
The land development rate of 2,000 acres per
year was assumed for the future even though
the Bureau of Indian Affairs feels the land
development rate may slow in the near future,

Clbola Wildlife Refuge

The Cibola Wildlife Refuge has a water right
reserved by Secretarial notice in the Federal
Register, December 9, 1982, for 16,973 acre-feet
of consumptive use per year,

Gila Project

The Gila Project was originally authorized to
develop up to 600,000 acre-feet of consumptive
use, It is now estimated that the acreage likely
to be developed will consume about
426,750 acre-feet per year, The Gila Project
includes the Wellton-Mohawk and Yuma Mesa
Divisions, The Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and
Drainage District, which is now authorized to
develop 65,000 acres, is anticipated to consume
300,000 acre-feet, In 1988, the Salt River
Pima-Maricopa Water Rights Settlement Act
was enacted which provides for a reduction in
the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage
District's entitlement to Colorado River water to
278,000 acre-feet of annual consumptive use,
The North Gila Valley, Yuma Mesa, and Yuma
(South Gila) Irrigation Districts are included
under the Yuma Mesa Division of the Gila
Project, A total of 37,187 acres is estimated to
be the average acreage developed by the districts
within this division, Consumptive use would
average 150,000 acre-feet per year and is limited
to 250,000 acre-feet under the terms of the
Ak-Chin Settlement Act,

City of Yuma

A contract was signed with the city of Yuma,
Arizona, for an annual diversion of
50,000 acre-feet per year, The city of Yuma is
expected to consume 12,000 to 15,000 acre-feet
per year,