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<br />.' <br />j <br /> <br />SUMMARY SHEETS <br /> <br />Florida project <br /> <br />LOCATION: Near Durango, La Plata County, southwest Colorado, in San <br />Juan Basin of upper Colorado River Basin. <br /> <br />AurHORIZED: As a participating project with the Colorado River storage <br />project by act of April 11, 1956 (70 Stat. 105). <br /> <br />PLAN <br />- <br /> <br />Lemon Reservoir on Florida River will regulate the now of the river <br />for irrigation of 19,450 acres of land, including 5,730 acres not <br />previously irrigated ani 1.3,720 acres in need of supplemental water. <br />Regulated releases will be made from the reservoir to the F.1.orida <br />River. A minor part of the released water will be diverted by <br />n1.1ll1erous small ditches that now serve lands in the narrow 25-mile <br />long river valley below the reservoir. A major part of the released <br />water will be diverted through the existing Florida Canal and the <br />Florida Farmers Ditch to lands on Florida Mesa. The diversion dam <br />for the Florida Farmers Ditch will be replaced and the upper 4.9 <br />miles of the ditch above its intersection with the Florida Canal <br />will be enlarged. Below the intersection the Florida Canal will <br />be enlarged for a distance of 1.8 miles and beyond this enlarge- <br />ment a new lateral system will be provided to serve about 2,21.0 <br />acres of land. Except for this new lateral system, existing later- <br />als will distribute all project water with minor rehabilitations <br />and extensions being made to serve about 3,520 acres in scattered <br />tracts on Florida Mesa. A fish screen will be installed near the <br />head of the Florida Farmers Ditch. No project land drains will be <br />required. Project irrigators are willing to correct inefficient <br />irrigation practices under prior water rights to conserve water for <br />project development. All project lands are privately owned except <br />785 acres of full irrigation service land that is in Indian owner- <br />ship or allotments. <br /> <br />Two recreational areas will be developed near the Lemon Reservoir. <br />The reservoir will also provide flood control benefits, will improve <br />conditions for fish, and will increase recreational use of the nearby <br />San Juan National Forest. <br />