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<br />,. <br /> <br />.' <br /> <br />canal 10,000 second-feet of water. Mexico was given the right to <br />devote half of the water passing through this canal to the irrigation <br />of Mexican lands. <br />"Expansion in bOLh countries was rapid until about 1920, by <br />which time the irriga'Led acreage in this area in both countries had <br />reached more than half a million acres. Total diversions through <br />the Alamo canal have exceeded 3,000,000 acre-feet annually during <br />almost every year between 1925 and 1941. Although Mexico was <br />entitled to the use of half of this water, in practice, prior to the <br />placing in operation or Imperial Dam and the All-American Canals, <br />about two-thirds of the water so diverted was used in the United <br />States and one-third in Mexico. There has been a rapid increase <br />in irrigation uses in the Mexicali Valley since the construction of <br />Boulder Dam, the total area irrigated there in recent years being in <br />excess of 300,000 acres. In 1943 more than 1, 800,000 acre-feet <br />of water of the Colorado River was diverted for use in Mexico." <br /> <br />In his prepared statement, which was inserted into the record of the Hearings <br /> <br />from page 149 to page 220, Mr. Lawson broke down the irrigated acreage in Mexico <br /> <br />mentioned above as follows: (p. 207) <br /> <br />"The irrigated acreage has increased from about 200,000 acres <br />in 1920 to about 300,000 acres at present. This acreage, all served <br />rrom Colorado River waters, may be segregated as to means of get- <br />ting this supply as follows: <br />Acres <br />Alamo canal system (by gravity), about . 200,000 <br />Lower river (by pumping), about . . . . . 91,000 <br />Sa n-tui's-area-(from-Yuma-proj-ect-)-;-about 9,000 <br />Total, about . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300,000 <br /> <br />"It requires headgate diversions of approximately 6.0 acre-feet <br />per acre to successrully irrigate in this area. Hence, the <br />1.800,000 acre-feet that has been used in recent years by Mexico." <br /> <br />The opponents of the Treaty considered the Mead offer of 1929 to be preferable, <br /> <br />at least as far as the United States was concerned, to the treaty under consideration. <br /> <br />Mr. Lawson summarized the previous negotiations with Mexico including the Mead <br /> <br />offer on page 81 and 82 of the Hearings in the following language: <br /> <br />-11- <br />