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<br />. 0 0.12 51 <br /> <br />suffer chronic economic depression and these grants are made <br /> <br />to provide incentive and capability for the rehabilitation of <br /> <br />irrigation works--some of which have not seen substantial improve- <br /> <br />ment since the 18th century. <br /> <br />In these economically depressed counties the Agricultural <br /> <br />Conservation Program of the Department of Agriculture will pay <br /> <br />70% of the cost of measures to conserve irrigation water. This <br /> <br />assistance from the ACP alonq with the grants and loans that <br /> <br />I have mentioned has brought about a considerable reduction <br /> <br />in loss and increase in effectiveness of use of irrigation <br /> <br />water supplies. particularly in northern New Mexico. Expendi- <br /> <br />tures of A C P funds for the conservation of irrigation water <br /> <br />in Nrcw Mexico in the last flsca1 }'car tntalled ab()ut $1.5 million. <br /> <br />The effectiveness of irrigation works and the productivity <br /> <br />of lands have aiso been improved unner the Department of Agri- <br /> <br />culture's Small watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act <br /> <br />(P L 566). Since 1954. 20 projects with a total cost of $6 <br />million dollars have been authorized for construction. <br /> <br />As I have indicated, the amount of water taken for municipal <br /> <br />and industrial purposes in New Mexico is relatively small. <br /> <br />Thus the opportunity for increasing the effective supply by <br /> <br />conservation in such uses is relatively small. Nonetheless <br /> <br />practices in municipal and industrial use of water in New Mexico <br /> <br />9 <br />