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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ,I , FLORIDA PROJECT, COLORADO LOCATION The Florida Project is located in southwestern Colorado approximately 14 miles northeast of Durango in La Plata County, Colorado. PURPOSE The project provides irrigation water for 19,450 acres of land, including 13,720 acres of supplemental service land and 5,730 acres of full service land. PLAN Lemon Dam is the principal feature of the Florida Project, a participating project of the Colorado River Storage Project~-Vater is released from the reservoir as needed and conveyed to the Florida River to the heads of the various downstream canals and ditches diverting the flow and distributing water to project land. In addition to constructing Lemon Dam, The Bureau of Reclamation's work included rebuilding the Florida Farmers Diversion Dam, enlarging 4.9 miles of the Florida Farmers Ditch to is bifurcation with thee Florida Canal, enlarging 1.9 miles of the Florida Canal, and building a new lateral system to serve 3,360 acres of land on southeastern Florida Mesa. The Florida Yater Conservancy District received project funds to rehabilitate, enlarge, and extend those portions of the Florida Farmers Ditch and Florida Canal distribution. AUTHORIZATION AND CONSTRUCTION The project is one of the participating projects authorized under the Colorado River Storage Project Act of April 11, 1956 (70 Stat. 105). The contract for construction of Lemon Dam was awarded June 3D, 1961, and all contract work was completed in December 1963. The rehabilitation of the Florida Farmers Diversion Dam and the enlargement and relocation of the Florida Farmers Ditch and Florida Canal were conducted in 1962-63. Construction of the lateral system with a total length of 14 miles and ranging in capacity from 50 to 2 cfs, was initiated in June 1963 and essentially completed in November 1964. The Florida Yater Conservancy District began rehabilitation of the existing lateral system in March 1963 and completed work during 1965.