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<br /> <br />'1 <br />, <br />" <br /> <br />,.; <br />.'! <br />':,~ <br /> <br />,;:' <br /> <br />.~ <br />'.~ <br />;i <br />.,~ <br />.';:'; <br />~ <br />.$ <br />~ <br />.~ <br />.'~ <br />'" <br /> <br />;1 <br /> <br />.c~i <br />" <br />, <br /> <br />.}q <br />~; , <br /> <br />.' <br />f <br /> <br />i' <br /> <br />o <br />("j <br />W <br />.... <br /> <br />C.) <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />14 <br /> <br /> <br />DEPLETION OF SURFAOE WATER SUPPLIES <br /> <br />LIMITATIONS ON DEVELOPMENT <br /> <br />. Even if it were otherwise feasible to irrigate all of the irrigable land <br />listed in the foregoing table, the surplus water to which Oolorado is <br />entitled would not be sufficient for the purpose. Actually, there are <br />some physical and legal barriers to full development and a large part <br />of the area could not be brought under irrigation without going far <br />beyond all reasonable standards of cost per acre of new land. <br />This is evidenced by the results of the investigations which the <br />United States Bureau of Reclamation has conducted during the past <br />10 years in a search for feasible projects. These include 20 pro~ects <br />in the drainage basin of the main stem of Oolorado Riv.er, 18 projects <br />in the Gunnison River Basin, and 4 projects in the southwesterly <br />portion of Oolorado. The aggregate area of these 42 projects is <br />almost 600,000 acres, including about 250,000 acres of land now under <br />ir'rigation to which supplemental water would be supplied. The area <br />of new land is thus slightly less than 350,000 acres. The total cost <br />allocable to irrigation is estimated to be $345 million. <br /> <br />Subsidies for main stem projects <br /> <br />In that part of the drainage basin of Oolorado River above the <br />confluence of Gunn.ison River there are 20 irrigation projects which <br />have been or are soon to be reported on by the Bureau of Reclamation. <br />These vary in size from about 2,000 acres to more than 60,000 acres <br />in extent. The total project area is 263,000 acres, of which 166,500 <br />acres is new land and the balance is land now under irrigation to which <br />supplemental water would be furnished. <br />Construction costs chargeable to irrigation would be $177 million; <br />an average of $674 per acre spread over all of the land in these proj-' <br />ccts. Such costs on individual projects would range from a little less <br />than $.100 per acre in the case of one, designed to receive water from <br />storage but not charged with any cost of storage, to some costing more <br />than $1,000 per acre. <br />The required subsidies, disregarding the subsidy arising out of waiver <br />of interest, would be more than $200 per acre with one exception, <br />would exceed $300 per acre for one project if more than 65,000 acres <br />were included, and would reach $500 per acre if as much as 160,000 <br />acres of .new land and lands given supplemental service were incor- <br />porated in new projects. Such subsidIes would exceed 80 percent of <br />the construction cost with two minor exceptions and would exceed <br />90 percent on 12 of the projects. <br />, It must be recognized that waiver of interest constitutes a large <br />subsidy even though this has been customary throughout the history <br />. of Federal reclamation projects. Actually, when the farmer is obli- <br />, gated to repay certain costs over a long period, such as 50 years, he in <br />. effect amortizes only about half of the cost which he is called upon to <br />\ repay without interest. Hence, the required subsidy to be paid out of <br />,revenues of the United States obtained by taxatIon of its citizens <br />directly, or indirectly by diversion of other revenues requiring off- <br />setting taxation, will be substantially greater than the amounts cited. <br />These subsidies are also based on the total area of land in new <br />projects of which more than one-third is now ir'rigated. Such supple- <br />mental lands will require less water and will cause less depletion, <br /> <br />,'. <br /> <br />( <br /> <br />" <br /> <br /> <br />::- <br /> <br />.- <br />