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<br />269 <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />Basin complaint on water quality~ (b) Comparatively <br />speaking with the other reservoirs the silting up pro- <br />blem of Curecanti is much lesser. The expectant period <br />of usefulness and consequent cost of project should be <br />spread over a much longer span of years. (c) The evapora- <br />tion factor is very favorable to Gurecanti meaning of the <br />water stored there a greater percentage of it will serve <br />a beneficial use. Surely i5,000,000 should be credited to <br />Curecanti when attempting to arrive at its feasibility on <br />a comparative basis. For these reasons we are convinced <br />this Gunnison Storage Project is economically sound as a <br />National Investment. It would be located in and of ser- <br />vice to a vast domain of high mineralized and forest <br />covered mountains, and valleys of productive soil that <br />with adequate additional water and power will support <br />several fold its present population of families. <br /> <br />The Cf"rteria of feasibility must take in account these <br />factors. Further expansion of agriculture and industry <br />in this upper basin is a corrolary to hold-over storage. <br />To spell this out - the tools of additional water and <br />power must be provided here available for this expansion <br />in Western Colorado for this storage project to have any <br />recognizable meaning to the Western Slope area. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />This is where Curecanti fits in as a most important opinion <br />in this hold-over storage device. <br /> <br />Expansion in irrigation that the Curecanti Storage <br />would make possible. <br /> <br />huch irrigated area of the Uncompahgre only 60 to <br />70% efficient in production because of water shortage in <br />that valley. <br /> <br />Now irrigates about 80,000 acres, 70,000 of this in <br />Gunnison Valley project. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />600,000 acre-feet of water used nbw on farmers in <br />Delta, Olathe, etc. in Uncompahgre Valley. <br /> <br />Acreage yet to be developed about 50,000 in boundary <br />of project and between 5000 and 6000 acres on Grand Mesa <br />and adjacent to projects on south and west. <br /> <br />Total of 390,000 acre-feet for irrigation". <br /> <br />Mr. Peterson then introduced Mr. Leonard Huber, City Manager <br />of Delta, Colorado, who made a brief statement in favor <br />of the Curecanti Project. <br /> <br />Mr. H. R. Holliday, Chairman, Delta County Water <br />Advisory Board, Delta, Colorado was next introduced, and <br />he read the following statement to the board: <br />